Opinion | Stability at home should be the basis of China's diplomacy of peaceful engagement
Hu Shuli says the country's quest for peaceful external relations must begin with a resolve to meet its own development challenges
Chinese diplomacy has had a busy few months, with numerous visits abroad by Chinese leaders and a constant stream of foreign leaders coming to China.
Amid the flurry of activity, two meetings were particularly noteworthy: the sixth US-China strategic and economic dialogue in Beijing last week, and the BRICS leaders' summit in Brazil this week. The former offers a window into China's relationship with the world's sole superpower, while the latter maps out how the major emerging economies, including China, can work together towards mutual development.
These two events capture in a nutshell the risks and opportunities for Chinese foreign policy.
The global financial crisis of 2008 has ushered in changes in China's internal and external environments. While its economy has grown to become the world's second largest, the risks of instability have increased in tandem. At the annual Sino-US dialogue last week, President Xi Jinping took pains to note that China, now more than ever, needed a stable and peaceful external environment. We could not agree more.
Stability is vital for a country undertaking major reforms for future development. If China is to enjoy a stable external environment, it must first foster stability at home. At the same time, it must build sound relationships with the outside world to further the peace it needs to safeguard reform and growth.
In the wake of the financial crisis, a major trend is the ever closer cooperation between the world's biggest emerging economies. Brazil, Russia, India and China held their first summit meeting in June 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with South Africa joining the grouping in 2010. Since then, a platform for engagement has taken shape, and the grouping is making its presence felt in global finance cooperation.
For one, it is demanding a greater voice and representation for emerging markets in international financial institutions. It is also pushing for a more diversified global currency system.