Another major move in China's diplomacy: commentary

Home>>Opinion

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, October 10, 2003

Another major move in China's diplomacy: commentary

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

ASEAN, China forge strategic partnership

On October 8, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, together with leaders of 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeastern Asian Nations) countries, jointly attended the signing ceremony for China's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Bali, Indonesia. In addition, the Premier also signed with ASEAN leaders the joint declaration on a "Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity".

This makes China become the first large country outside the Southeast Asian region to join this treaty, it is also the first time that China established strategic partnership with a regional organization. In the meantime, both sides also signed a supplementary protocol to the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and other documents. This string of major world-shaking actions are undoubtedly another great achievement made in China's diplomacy in recent years, another major move taken by China in implementing the diplomatic thinking of "taking neighbors as friends and partners", and another important expression of China's intention to be a big responsible country. This move marks a new stage of China-ASEAN good-neighbor, mutual-trust partnership. It will definitely give a big boost to this region's peace, stability and prosperity, it is of great significance.

An important step to propel integration of East Asia

Integration of the East Asian region represents the general trend and popular feeling of East Asian peoples and the necessity for safeguarding the region's prosperity and stability. It is well known that as early as the beginning of the 1990s, ASEAN nations put forward the proposal for the establishment of an East Asian regional organization and have since made unremitting efforts for this. At the same time, establishment of an East Asian regional cooperation organization is also one of China's long-term strategic goals.

In recent years, China has all along been taking an active attitude toward this issue. However, Japan, as a big country in this region, is not so enthusiastic in its attitude toward cooperation in the East Asian region. China and Japan, as two large countries in this region, should jointly cooperate to actively promote regional cooperation and the integration of East Asia, Japan, however, due to various perplexities, reacted to this coldly. China has repeatedly transmitted information to Japan, hoping that the latter would play a greater role in East Asian cooperation. China wishes to join hands with Japan to push East Asian regional cooperation, but with little effect. In view of Japan's passive attitude and the urgency of the region's integration, China could not but consider adoption of a flanking tactic by letting ASEAN spur Japan. So, China and the ASEAN took the lead themselves to adopt actions and to create some sort of irreversible trends, thereby arousing Japan's sense of participation in the region's integration. Only then were there the proposal for a China-ASEAN free trade area, the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation, Joint Declaration on Cooperation in the Field of Non-traditional Security, Declaration on the Actions by Various Parties to the South China Sea, and a string of major results achieved at this conference.

Wen Jiabao at China-ASEAN Summit

These actions were really a touch on Japan. After the plan for the establishment of a China-SEAN free trade area within 10 years was put forward, Japan's media were astir. They feared that they would be marginalized and would lose their initiative in East Asia, they demand that the Japanese government take the initiative, advocate that Japan and China be the common leading factors, and other voices began to rise one after another in Japan's press circle. Leaving aside Japan's motive, the surge of the Japanese society's sense of participation in the integration of East Asia alone suffices to show the effectiveness of China's flanking tactics.

It can be expected that the new step taken by China in its formal signing and joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation will likely produce joint effect and repercussions in the Japanese society. Under the influence of Japan's press circle, the Japanese government will possibly follow China's footsteps and thus become another large non-Southeast Asian country that acceded to the treaty. It goes without saying that this will enable the entire East Asia to advance a step further toward the goal of integration.

Another legal guarantee for being eternal good neighbors and good partners

Due to historical reasons, some ASEAN countries once cherished different degrees of distrust of China. In addition, the natural characteristic of China being their large neighbor makes them doubt about China. This kind of near instinct psychology of fear is understandable. It is not difficult for China to help them get rid of such fear and worry. The way of doing this is to rely on action, the most important things of which are to accomplish the following two points:

First, using actual deeds to let ASEAN countries see that China sincerely respects, understands and helps them, and conscientiously develops relations of friendly cooperation with them. China is doing or has already done this. This has been proved by the fact from China's behavior during the financial crisis to the preferential treatment provided by China to some countries as expressed in the plan for the establishment of a China-ASEAN free trade area. ASEAN nations see this and bear it in their minds.

Second, openly and formally undertaking legal obligations and making political promise to bind China's own behavior. This was the document of legal significance China signed with them. With a contract in their hands, the small countries feel at ease. Over the past two years, China has indeed made a lot of efforts. Last year, China signed with the ASEAN the Declaration on Actions of Various Parties to the South China Sea, this has cooled down the hot South China Sea issue over which quarrels had continued for years. Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation will enable the ASEAN to have more confidence in China. In addition, China has long before expressed its support of the ASEAN proposition for Southeast Asian nuclear weapon free zone, and promised that once differences were ironed out between related countries and the ASEAN, China would immediately sign relevant treaties on nuclear-free zone. This series of legal documents will become a legal basis and guarantee for small ASEAN countries to trust China.

As a large country, China can actively place itself under the binding force of the treaty, demonstrating its determination not to be a superpower characteristic of the strong bullying the weak and its sincerity of being good neighbor and good partner to its neighboring countries. The establishment of a strategic partnership of China with the ASEAN as a whole demonstrates China's attention to, respect for and support of the ASEAN organization. Although China advocates propelling integration of East Asia and the establishment of a regional cooperation organization, this does not means neglecting, excluding and even digesting the ASEAN organization. On the contrary, China will continue to support the process of the integration and the strengthening of the overall strength of ASEAN. The establishment of this strategic partnership indicates China's greater diplomatic confidence, it no longer fears that it would be in an inferior position when having dealings with a group. On the other hand, the publication of the joint declaration on strategic partnership will make ASEAN nations gradually believe that China would accept and respect the overall status of ASEAN and would not adopt a policy of dividing them up, sowing discord among them and destroying them one by one.

Adding splendor to the image of a large, responsible country

The reform and opening up policy has enabled China to have really advanced to the world arena and to have gradually realized that the world needs China, that China should merge itself into the world and should hold itself responsible to the world. China quickened the pace of its merging into the world during the 1990s. Its distinguished behavior shown during the financial crisis and its WTO accession have given radiant splendor to the image of China as a large, responsible country. It has fully displayed its skills and realized its ambitious plans, in the political security realm, however, it appears to be somewhat timid and overcautious.

Over the past few years, the situation has changed a lot, at least in its foreign relations with surrounding regions, China has begun all-round external cooperation, which is not limited merely to economic, social and cultural fields, but has extended to the most sensitive security and political realms. China has come to realize that regional integration is of not merely economic and social affairs, but also concerns politics and security; and that to win the confidence of surrounding countries and to play its due role as a large country in the region, China must make an all-directional merger into the regional society and, together with other countries, jointly formulate and observe the unified rules of games.

Last year, China signed with ASEAN the Declaration on the Actions of Various Parties to the South China Sea, the most sensitive issue of Nansha Islands; this year, China has formally acceded to the "Southeast Asia Treaty of Amity and Cooperation" that involves politics and security. This action fully shows the manner, sensibility, magnanimity, self-confidence and maturity of China's diplomacy nowadays.

To properly play its part as a large responsible country, China must participate, and the participation must be an all-directional one. This is the call of a historical mission.

"Establishing partnership, not alliance" as set in the independent foreign policy of peace

China always pursues an independent foreign line of peace. The heart of this line is not to form an alliance, not act as the head and not seek hegemony. With regard to non-alliance, Comrade Deng Xiaoping once explained that countries like China had their unique status and role. China's foreign policy is real non-alliance, including not forming league with any large countries and not joining any groups. In this way, we could get into contact and make friend with anyone. We will offend nobody.

Then does China's accession to the Southeast Asia Treaty of Amity and Cooperation imply China's abandonment of its non-alignment stand?

The answer is certainly negative. The so-called alliance generally refers to a treaty of alliance of defensive nature signed between two or more countries, to jointly guard against military invasion of the aligned countries by non-aligned nations; when a member is subject to such invasion, other members must see such an act as invasion of themselves, and must therefore carry out their military obligation in defense of the said member state. Nowadays, the vast majority of regional cooperation organizations are different from alliance in their traditional sense. Although there are various kinds of treaties, agreements and organizational statutes, they do not have the nature of military alliance. China has established the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) with Russia and various Central Asian countries, but it is not an alliance. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is not an alliance, because it does not have the nature of a military alliance. Therefore, accession to the Southeast Asia Treaty of Amity and Cooperation of ASEAN is equally not an alliance. Accession to the Treaty only implies serving the region's friendship, cooperation, security and stability and the need to observe certain principles and regulations, perform certain obligations and make certain promises.

Whether China forms regional cooperation organizations with other countries, or accedes to the treaties of other cooperation organizations is not an alliance, but the establishment of partnership and making friends and entering into cooperation. Therefore, establishing partnership, not forming alliance does not contradict, but complement with the independent foreign line of peace.

The article was carried in the People's Daily, October 09, and translated by People's Daily Online

Questions?Comments? Click here

ASEAN, China forge strategic partnership

China joins Treaty of Amity, Cooperation in Southeast Asia

Wen expounds China's policy towards ASEAN countries

Arnold Schwarzenegger Wins ( 2 Messages)

Work easier for Cupid in China as new marriage rules take effect ( 2 Messages)

Report: China to launch manned space flight on Oct. 15 ( 8 Messages)

China gives strategic priority to education: minister ( 4 Messages)

US export controls on China unwise: Int'l Finance News ( 2 Messages)