New Journey of Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics

A Review of World Situation

2020 is a very unusual year with the outbreak of COVID-19 greatly affected the international pattern and international order. President Xi Jinping has carried out head-of-state diplomacy in innovative ways such as “cloud diplomacy”. Guided by Xi Jinping Thoughts on Diplomacy, China’s diplomacy has taken "unite against the pandemic" as the main theme, and strived to open up a new journey of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

1. Building a new model for international anti-pandemic campaign

The outbreak of COVID-19 has triggered a global crisis: estrangement between countries ran deeper and unilateralism, isolationism and populism surged. In the face of the severe international situation, the Chinese people united as one, effectively curbed the spread of the coronavirus in a short period of time, and at the same time joined hands with the international community to fight the pandemic together.

China has launched the largest global humanitarian assistance program since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, providing anti-pandemic assistance to more than 150 countries and 10 international organizations, and providing more than 200 billion masks, 2 billion protective suits and 800 million test kits to other countries. The Chinese government has released information on the epidemic situation timely, shared experience in prevention, control and diagnosis, and kept them open to all countries.

In the face of increasing COVID-19 pressure, the differences in policies on epidemic prevention lead to tensions among countries. China has called for communication and coordination to promote international cooperation in vaccine development. China has been supporting the United Nations and the World Health Organization to play a central role in improving global public health governance.

2. Leading the new course of regional cooperation

The outbreak of COVID-19 has intensified the trend of anti-globalization and protectionism, putting regional integration in jeopardy. China holds high the banner of multilateralism and joins hands with countries in the Asia-Pacific region to promote cooperation.

China and the Mekong countries held the 3rd Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (MLC) Leaders' Meeting, proposing to connect Lancang-Mekong Cooperation with the “New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor”, marking LMC has entered a period of comprehensive development.

At the 20th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the “China plan” enriched the profound connotations of the community of shared future for mankind and drew a blueprint for the next stage of SCO development.

In Asia-Pacific Cooperation, China and 14 other Asia-Pacific countries, including the 10 ASEAN countries, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, stepped up negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and have reached a final agreement, marking the formal establishment of the free trade area with the largest population, the largest economic and trade scale and the most development potentials in the world.

3. Meeting the new challenges in international security

The threefold pressure - COVID-19, economic downturn, and cyclic domestic political changes in multiple countries - aggravated tensions in international relations and regional turbulences. China and Russia have strengthened strategic cooperation on global and regional stability, and strived to stabilize the multipolar international pattern. China and the EU have strengthened strategic communication and interacted actively in anti-epidemic collaboration and restoring economic growth, so as to jointly maintain the basic stability of relations among major countries. China has continued to work with the United States to build a new type of major-country relationship featuring no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. At the same time, China has waged resolute struggle with external interferences by countries like the United States on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and so on to safeguard national sovereignty and security.

China has been firmly preserving peace and stability in the Middle East, and calling for the eradication of terrorism in Syria. In response to India’s provocation in border areas, China resolutely defended its territorial sovereignty, while maintaining patient and repeated high-level communication with India, in an effort to safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas.

Composing a new chapter of opening up and cooperation

Since 2020, China has maintained its commitment to continuing to open up to the outside world and issued many major measures, demonstrating its determination to unswervingly support economic globalization and trade and investment facilitation.

While taking strict epidemic prevention measures, China has continued to open its doors to cooperation. China has successively established “fast channels” for personnel exchanges and “green channels” for goods trade with South Korea, Japan and ASEAN countries to facilitate personnel exchanges, maintain the smooth flow of supply and industrial chains and help each other’s economic recovery.

In the context of global economic recession, China has increased its investment in the “Belt and Road" initiative, providing support and assistance for countries along the routes of the "Belt and Road" to fight against the COVID-19 and to restore their economy. Many "Belt and Road" projects have been running under strict pandemic-control rules and a number of new projects have been launched. In the first half of 2020, the non-financial direct investment in 54 countries by Chinese enterprises reached 57.1 billion yuan, an increase of 23.8% over the same period last year.

5. Building a new pattern of international public opinion atmosphere

In 2020, some Western politicians, media and think tanks have taken advantage of their dominating influences on international public opinion and perceived moral high ground to provide tools for exerting pressure on China. In the face of the reckless attacks, smears and abuse by International anti-China forces, China has made timely and effective responses, strengthened interaction between domestic and overseas media outlets, and promoted the construction of a fair and reasonable new order of global public opinion dissemination.

China has been resolutely fighting against conspiracy theories about Chine’s anti-epidemic actions by telling its own stories and helping to build a global community of health for all. China insists that the origin of coronavirus is a complex scientific issue, and China will actively participate in global scientific research on virus traceability and transmission routes. Faced with the blames of some politicians in some countries for their own ineffective epidemic prevention and control, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Health Commission timely released relevant data. While introducing and publicizing China’s anti-epidemic stories, overseas Chinese embassies and consulates refuted the false accusations and safeguarded China’s narrative on the international anti-pandemic campaign.

China has always been uncompromising in defending major principles such as national sovereignty and dignity. It has criticized some Western countries for distorting facts on issues involving Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and exposes their plot to interfere in internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. China’s just actions have been widely supported by the international community. In the general debate of the Third Committee of the general assembly of the United Nations, about 50 countries made a joint speech to support China on Xinjiang-related issues. In addition, China has opened up a frontal public opinion battlefield for international discourse on racism, war crimes, and human rights abuses in the United States and Australia..

Contributed by Liu Qing, vice president of China Institute of International Studies

Translated by Pan Meng