China: make friends with the world

The COVID-19 outbreak accelerated the centennial changes. Internal contradictions arose in some Western countries, but instead of addressing their problems, they engaged in various smear campaigns trying to passing the buck, blaming other countries for their own domestic failures. Some politicians in the West built up anti-China alliances to create an international image that China has no friends in the world, although most countries were unwilling to join in. As an old Chinese saying goes, “Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.” Those with the world in their minds will never be alone.

“West” doesn’t equal “world”

It is a common rhetorical pitfall and misconception to take the “West” as the “world” – as if only the voices of Western media were “international” and “mainstream”, while those from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, which account for the majority of the world’s population, have been excluded from the “international community”.

As an ancient nation with profound culture and civilization, China has formed a unique view of the world. Different from the manor system and nation-state ideas in Western theories, the Chinese concept “tianxia” denotes the entire world. Chinese people have a world view that takes the welfare of all human beings into account.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, while pursuing its own modernization, China has never forgotten its responsibilities for helping people living in poverty worldwide. Even during the Cold War, Chinese leaders always behaved in a major-country manner and strived for the rights and interests of people in Asian, African, Latin American countries.

Partnership over alliance

Until today, Western countries’ development pattern is still regarded as the standard process of modernization by some people. However, the fact is that the success of Western powers often comes at the cost of unfairness and inequality on a global scale.

In the eyes of some Westerners, China’s development is a typical example of unconventionality. China’s mission in this era is to break through the obstructions set by Western powers and achieve modernization as soon as possible in an international order that is far from fair and just. After the founding of the PRC, China gradually completed its own foreign policies of adhering to independence, opposing power politics, and never harming the interests of other countries. In recent years, China announced to the world that it would forge global partnerships instead of antagonistic blocs and engage in dialogue instead of confrontation.

Dominated by Western powers, the international colonial and alliance systems have become synonymous with “big countries controlling small ones”. At the General Debate of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Xi Jinping said that “we should forge a global partnership at both international and regional levels, and embrace a new approach to state-to-state relations, one that features dialogue rather than confrontation, and seeks partnership rather than alliance.” Faced with changes and crises, China will continue to promote peace and dialogue, encourage every party to join in the “Belt and Road” Initiative, and achieve shared growth through consultation and collaboration.

Pandemic prompting retrospection

The COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the unprecedented centennial changes and aggravated the long-existing contradictions in the global system. Due to the economic downturn, some countries have to focus more on domestic situations, but they resorted to the beggar-thy-neighbor policy in order to protect themselves. In addition, populism and de-globalization trends have also greatly disrupted the normal course of development in some countries.

President Xi has pointed out that development is the “master key” to solving all problems. Whether it is to eliminate the impact of the pandemic and return to the normal track of life, or to defuse crisis and conflicts, we must put our people above everything else. To deal with foreign anti-China alliances and organizations, China will always pursue common development and win-win cooperation. China is now negotiating with more countries and regional organizations, and will surely make more friends in the future.

All countries in the world sink or swim together. The world has now ushered in the best time to resume the international order and reform global economic governance. China actively promotes a new type of international relations and call on all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind. This will surely win support and praises from people of all countries.

Contributed by Yao Yao, China Foreign Affairs University

Translated by Ren Meiqi