New Chinese leadership shines at diplomacy

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, February 12, 2004

New Chinese leadership shines at diplomacy

The new Chinese leadership, spearheaded by President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and others, has proven its diplomatic mettle on the international stage.

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The new Chinese leadership, spearheaded by President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and others, has proven its diplomatic mettle on the international stage.

Through a series of diplomatic activities in 2003, an uncommon year in international relations, the new leadership has presented the country to the world with a new image of more maturity and self-confidence.

It established a new diplomatic approach, based upon the development of good-neighbourly relations with surrounding countries; and a more unambiguous national security concept, with mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, and co-ordination at the core, which has already rid the world of earlier misgivings whether it would carry on the independent foreign policy of peace from its predecessors.

The past year was unusual since international relations experienced radical changes and readjustment. The year was particularly unusual to the new leadership, which faced a string of severe tests shortly after it assumed the power of the world's most populous country.

The US-led war in Iraq without UN authorization, the wide-range rampancy of SARS in China and regions beyond, the re-emergence of the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, and the intensified tension between India and Pakistan, two countries bordering China in the south, all posed serious challenges to China's new leaders.

It was really a big concern whether they could, in an effective and acceptable manner, deal with these issues relevant to the interests of China and its people.

However, the new leadership, with a surprising coolness and creativity, took prompt diplomatic actions in solidifying China's relations with a string of foreign countries.

And its broader, more flexible, and more pragmatic diplomatic approach has also forged a favourable platform for the country's peaceful development, which was proven difficult in history.

The new leadership, clearly aware that China's security cannot be separated from the world's security, is getting more active in integrating China into the global context.

A typical example is China's active and constructive efforts in pushing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States, the two key parties in the peninsula crisis, to open talks to break a long-standing deadlock.

It was exactly China's great efforts that contributed much to the final holding of the three-party and six-way talks in China last year on the nuclear issue.

The second round of the six-way talks is now getting its momentum.

The opening of such talks has laid down a multilateral talks mechanism for Northeast Asian security.

China's significant role in the issue has been greatly appreciated by Washington and other countries concerned about the security situation in the region.

Sticking to the tradition of making good friends with all countries, the new leadership has further established as its prime diplomatic target setting up friendly relations with neighbours and maintaining a peaceful and stable surrounding environment.

Under the guideline of such a principle, the new leadership made frequent visits to surrounding states shortly after it came to power, fully demonstrating its eagerness to develop smooth relations with neighbours.

With the new diplomatic approach at the mind, the new Chinese leaders have thus continuously strengthened strategic partnership with Russia, the country's largest neighbour, through bilateral ties and the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) platform.

The ever-expanding function of the SCO from its original military to current multi-functional purposes, has rescued the multi-lateral body from the risk of collapse following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

With an intent to building a lasting peace with its southern neighbours, China's new leaders have also succeeded in pushing the country to set up a strategic partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and to join the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation in Southeast Asian (TAC) as the first non-Southeast Asian major power.

The TAC membership could bear the best testimony that the regional countries no longer sees China as a threat just they did years ago, but as a partner with which they can trust each other and realize a win-win benefit.

The new leadership has also shown larger wishes to improve ties with India, China's largest neighbour in the south, and get involved in India's long-standing dispute with Pakistan, to help the two old adversaries go back to the track of reconciliation.

The improving Sino-Indian relations following Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's visit to China last year and the recent thawing signs between India and Pakistan will both help create a stable Asia and advance the development and rise of the whole continent in international context.

Pushed by its new leadership, China issued a joint declaration with Japan and the Republic of Korea last October to advance trilateral co-operation.

The three countries' hand-joining indicates the process of East Asian co-operation will be started in the near future, a process regarded to produce far-flung influences on the regional joint development and prosperity.

As a country with a rising international clout, China is also strengthening its relations with world's major powers.

Through active involvement in the international society and flexible diplomatic tactics, Sino-US relations have maintained positive momentum. China's full partnership with European countries is likewise being continuously strengthened.

Despite occasional disputes on a series of issues, especially on historical issues, the general Sino-Japan relationship has also been advanced, prodded by the attracting economic co-operation between the two.

Meanwhile, the new leadership, still regarding China's relations with developing countries as the foundation of its foreign policy, is also actively exploring new methods to push forward ties with developing countries.

Through specific diplomatic activities, from its responsible and co-operative attitude with other countries and the WHO on the fight against SARS, and its candid communication with other major countries on its currency policy, the new leadership has also gradually won its country more understanding and increasingly good opinions and appreciation from the world.

The image of a responsible and a more active China is now getting engraved in the memory of the world due to the new diplomatic style of the new leadership.

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