Most recently, the Chinese Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs held in Beijing during which top leaders and senior officials of the CPC and central and local governments, as well as all departments and agencies related to foreign affairs rigorously participated.
The Chinese president Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech covering all aspects of historic achievements which vividly reflected grand success of strategic vision pertaining to Chinese socialism, opening-up, modernization, qualitative industrialization, nurturing of human capital, green transformation, and last but not least, full implementation of the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress during 2023.
Xi also presented comprehensive evaluations of the historic achievements of Chinese diplomacy in the new era, providing a profound exposition on the international environment and historical mission of China's external work on the new journey, and made comprehensive plans for China's external work for the present and coming periods.
Xi termed year 2023 as apex of the Chinese economic diplomacy and foreign policy at all fronts giving message of hope, harmony, stability, international cooperation and road map of quick regional as well as global economic recovery, trans-regional connectivity, digitalization, diversification of economy, sustainable development and last but not least, protection of human rights, health care and successfully combating against deadly virus of COVID-19. Thus despite numerous internal and external difficulties, China achieved immense socio-economic development during 2023.
Comparative study upholds that 18th National Congress of the CPC, 2012, China has been striving hard to peacefully pursue the end goal of building of a community with a shared future for mankind, pointing the right direction for human society leading to common development, lasting peace and security, and mutual learning between civilizations.
During his speech Xi showcased the China’s new opportunities and prospects which successfully created new strategic initiatives and mitigated crises which ultimately enhanced national confidence and strength.
The secret of China’s success in foreign affairs and international diplomacy is to constantly follow the strategic guidance of head-of-state diplomacy which has been playing an increasingly important and constructive role in international affairs. China initiated a holistic approach to its relations with all countries featuring peaceful coexistence, overall stability and balanced development.
Xi termed the CPPCC performance remarkable, conscientiously implementing the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and making new contributions to advancing the cause of the Party and the country which is indeed commendable in term of good governance in the country. He emphasized to fulfill the goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development during 2024, the 75th anniversary of China.
His commitments to further consolidate and enhance the momentum of economic recovery and growth, improve people's well-being, maintain social stability, and making solid and steady progress in advancing the Chinese modernization clearly demonstrates his government’s people, investment, business and environment friendly policies to achieve the desired goals of socio-economic development in the days to come.
The gathering was presided over by Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee. While addressing the event Wang termed Xi’s speech as strategic road map for the future giving guiding principles for socio-economic prosperity, structural reforms and wellbeing of the common people.
China has not been intimidated by bullying and pressure from others, pushing forward the construction of ties with other major powers which vividly reflects its pragmatic foreign policy having firm belief in dialogue, diplomacy, development and determination.
During these years, China under the leadership of Xi has expanded a comprehensive strategic layout, and formed a wide-ranging, high-quality global network of partnerships. Advancing of the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation is indeed established the world's most broad-based and largest platform for international cooperation negating all false and fake propaganda and misperceptions against BRI and CPEC.
Because of its balanced, result oriented, participatory, positive and productive foreign policy China continuously worked to both pursue development and safeguard security, and effectively upheld China's sovereignty, security and development interests with a firm will and an indomitable fighting spirit. Ultimately its foreign policy with the Chinese characteristics enhances its active part in global governance and shown the way in reforming the international system and order.
One of the key salient features of the Chinese foreign policy is that it never created blocs, isolations, marginalization and protectionism and always serves the shared interests of the international community.
During these difficult years, China always stood first to carry out the mediation of conflicts and tensions and the China-brokered agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, track-II diplomacy for truce in Ukraine and last but not least its peaceful diplomacy to achieve peace in the ongoing Israel-Palestine all show China’s strong commitment towards international cooperation, global governance, and law based international order.
Critical analysis of its foreign policy reveals that China has made tremendous success which helped it to overcome a series of challenges, including the US-launched trade war in 2018, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the disruption to supply and industrial chains after the outbreak of Ukraine crisis.
In summary, under the leadership of Xi China successfully competed with high winds and choppy waters and overcame various difficulties and challenges in China's foreign policy. Resultantly, China has become a responsible major country with enhanced international influence, stronger capacity to steer new endeavors, and greater moral appeal. China’s supreme human values, shared prosperity mantra, numerous global initiatives of Xi and peaceful persuasions of socio-economic development, humanitarian diplomacy, trans-regional connectivity and conflict resolution have been the hallmark of its foreign policy.
It is commendable that Xi’s thoughts on diplomacy allows China's diplomacy to play the role of a major engine for global recovery and become a key stabilizer of world peace in general during the rapid changes in the world during the last century.
The ongoing Ukraine crisis and the latest round of the Palestine-Israel conflict in Gaza all confirm the urgent need to rely on the Chinese wisdom of peaceful conflict resolution without separating the world into blocs and alliances and playing a zero-sum game with each other and imposing nationalism, isolationism and protectionism and rather constructively reforming the economic globalization.
It is recommended that the policy makers of China should focus on the central task of the CPC so that it’s easily charters progress while maintaining stability. The policy makers should break new ground while upholding fundamental principles and firmly safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests.
China must explore new avenues in its foreign policy theory and practice, accelerate new dynamics in the relations between China and the world, and integrated efforts should be initiated to raise China's international influence, appeal and power to shape events to a new level in the days to come.
The policy makers of China should chalk out new strategic road map to create a more favorable international order through more solid strategic support for achieving the real essence of the great rejuvenation and the Chinese path to modernization. Moreover, China should further serve as a responsible power and a stabilizer for the international system, and push for reform and improvements in the current international order and economic globalization in a constructive way.
Last but not least, there is an urgent need to create new national narratives, frameworks and paths to further foster wellbeing of common people, economic stability, sustainability, fight against climate change, strategic priorities of economic development, institutionalization of human values, rights through the whole process democracy which is the biggest in the world. It is recommended that Xi’s global development, global security, global civilizational and global AI good governance must be key part of its future foreign policy.
Author is Dr Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, Executive Director of The Center for South & International Studies (CSAIS) Islamabad
