Why China is becoming a friendlier neighbour in Asia
Deng Yuwen says Beijing sees the importance of cultivating good relations on its periphery, and is growing into its role as a global power on the rise. Warmer relations with a host of countries, including India, Japan and North Korea, are proof of it
Observers will note that China has been taking a different approach in its peripheral diplomacy this year, and the previously hostile relationships with some of its neighbours have become much friendlier.
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Some commentators believe Beijing’s friendlier attitude towards its neighbours is all part of its plan to counter US power. This is only partly correct. While Beijing’s vexing relations with the US must have put some pressure on it to ensure its relations with others are less fraught, I think the more important reason for China’s new-found friendliness is its wish to create more favourable conditions for its development in the coming years.
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In this context, although China considers the Sino-US relationship to be highly important, its relations with its periphery are also regarded as a priority.
Unfortunately, when measured against Beijing’s own aim of cultivating friendly, harmonious and mutually beneficial relations with its neighbours, its diplomacy in the five years since the 18th party congress in 2012 missed the mark by a long way. In that time, conflicts big and small erupted in major relationships.
There were many reasons for the discord, and China was not solely to blame. But, to many people, it was China’s arrogance and high-handedness in dealing with others, especially during a disagreement, that was the fundamental problem.
If this was an isolated view, we could attribute it to perceiver’s bias. But if it is a widely shared view, then China must rethink its own attitude and tactics, and question whether they were appropriate.
China has given the world the impression of a brash upstart because, unsure of how to act in its new-found status as a global power on the rise, Beijing has continued to rely on old thinking and old approaches in its foreign relations.
As the 19th party congress makes clear, the key task for Chinese people today is to “grow stronger”, different from the exhortation in Mao Zedong’s time to “stand up”, and the goal in Deng Xiaoping’s time to “get rich”. Diplomatically, this means a shift away from the time-honoured practice for China to “hide its strength and bide its time”.
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People may well equate national strength with power that grows out of a gun barrel, but such thinking has no place in a country’s diplomacy. Unfortunately, some of it has seeped into the thinking of the foreign policy establishment, as when foreign ministry spokespeople promise “a fight to the finish” as a way to reflect China’s determination to stand its ground. This only gives the impression that China is unreasonable and inflexible.
In this era of national rejuvenation, it takes skill to convey China’s will and determination diplomatically.
Outdated ideas about a “strong China” have influenced Chinese diplomacy over the past five years, at a time when the country is embroiled in various disputes over sovereignty and other issues. The result has been a series of quarrels with its neighbours, including the Philippines, Japan, India, the two Koreas and Singapore.
Of course, as a nation on the rise, China should expect its neighbours to be wary. But the fact its relations with others had deteriorated to such a level, all at the same time, was a sign that Beijing needed to reflect on what went wrong.
Outlining its approach to foreign policy at the 19th party congress, China said it was committed to building a global community of common destiny and pledged to follow the path of peaceful development. It promised dialogue over confrontation, and promised to contribute to global development and defend the international order.
These statements suggest a much less aggressive foreign policy approach, which has been borne out by China’s actions in recent months.
Deng Yuwen is a researcher at the Charhar Institute think tank. This article is translated from Chinese