Toward win-win cooperation

The year 2016 marks the start of China's 13th Five-Year Plan and its hosting the G20 summit, which will be a vital opportunity for the country to offer solutions to build a new, more cooperative and 'win-win' form of international relations.

With the continual build-up of China's comprehensive national strength, the international community has more expectations of China and increasingly expects to hear its voice and see its solutions. In the meantime, China's relations with the outside world are undergoing profound change. What kind of foreign strategy Beijing will enforce and how it will respond to the anticipations of the international community are questions now very much in the spotlight.

Ruan Zongze

At the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly on September 28, 2015, President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech titled 'Working Together to Forge a New Partnership of Win-win Cooperation and Create a Community of Shared Future for Mankind'.

Beijing is working hard to enhance major-country relations, adopt beneficial foreign policies toward neighbouring and developing countries, utilise multilateral diplomacy to promote cooperation platforms and enhance China's say and influence in shaping the future international order.

In terms of Sino-US relations, President Xi stresses that smooth cooperation between China and US can be a bedrock of global stability. In September 2015, President Xi paid a successful state visit to the US for the first time.

China and Russia have maintained close high-level contacts. President Xi has visited Russia four times, and President Vladimir Putin has visited China five times. All this has deepened the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

All-round dialogues and cooperation between China and the EU continue to deepen. Both have made great efforts to dovetail China's Belt and Road Initiative with the European Development Plan, its campaign for international cooperation on production capacity with Europe's investment plan, with a view to fulfilling the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides.

China has particularly focused on deepening the mutual benefit and win-win configuration with neighbouring countries. At a conference on foreign policies toward neighbouring countries in October 2013, President Xi outlined its basic principles such as building good relationships and partnerships with neighbouring countries, adhering to the policy of bringing harmony, security and prosperity to neighbours, and highlighting the idea of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.

For this purpose, China has proposed such policy initiatives as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and meticulously built new platforms for the implementation of foreign policies toward neighbouring countries on a bilateral and multilateral basis. China's free trade agreements with the ROK and Australia have come into effect. It has also actively involved itself in the negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and deliberated with ASEAN on the upgraded version of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.

Being the world's largest developing country, China will stick to the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith and give top priority to the advancement of relations with other developing countries.

A NEW ROLE IN GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

China has taken an active part in UN affairs and multilateral diplomacy, and carried out comprehensive cooperation with the UN and its affiliates. The country has played an active and constructive role in many global and regional multilateral mechanisms involving APEC, G20, the Nuclear Security Summit, ASEM, the BRICS Summit, and dutifully made its contributions in tackling climate change, combating international terrorism, performing UN peacekeeping missions or helping conflict zones with post-war reconstruction.

The international situation has been undergoing major and profound changes and the international order and system are yet to deliver corresponding reforms for improvement. With the growing emergence of new challenges, the global governance mechanism also calls for renewal and improvement.

At the same time, the rising momentum of emerging economies is rewriting global political and economic landscapes. Against this backdrop, President Xi has proposed the new cooperative and win-win international relations and building a community for the shared future for mankind. China's diplomacy is making strides toward a new stage and the country is proactively participating in and leading major global issues with the aim of converting China's opportunities into the world's and converting the world's opportunities into its own.

A FAVOURABLE CLIMATE TO REALISE CHINESE DREAM

The Chinese dream is one of peace and development. It is closely connected with the dreams of other people in the world.

Over 30 years of reform and opening up have now passed as a period of peaceful development in China. This peaceful development has benefited from its integration into the international system. And the international system has become more representative because of China's integration.

China has taken part in various international affairs, including preparing the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and coping with global climate change. It has vigorously promoted the Belt and Road Initiative on the principle of mutual consultation, common construction and sharing.

Now the reform of the international system is at a critical juncture. The world faces a great opportunity to build a new type of cooperative relations. A new age of globalisation has provided unprecedented opportunities for lasting peace. All countries have gained access to enormous space for development and embraced the opportunity to participate in shaping the future international system.

The current world is still far from tranquil. Hegemonism, power politics and zero-sum games still haunt the world. How to realise win-win cooperation is a long-term, arduous and tortuous process and entails the joint efforts of all stakeholders.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR SINO-INDIA TIES

Such a nuanced concept is bound to inject powerful positive energy into China's relations with India. Increasingly, the Sino-India relationship has a global impact since both countries are members of G20 and BRICS. China is supportive of India joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Now there is a new opportunity for Beijing and New Delhi to forge a community of shared destiny. First, both countries should pursue a Neighbourhood First policy. As vital neighbours, both China and India are committed to working together to cultivate a positive environment for each other.

Second, China has a stake in India's success. It welcomes India's rise as leading power as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It also means India will shoulder greater responsibility in international affairs.

Third, both China and India are focusing on similar tasks such as poverty reduction, upgrading infrastructure and raising people's living standards. China and India can be the best partners in working on all these issues.

Last but not the least, it is important to handle the differences between China and India smartly. China-India relations are so significant that they should not be handicapped by differences and disputes. Greater cooperation and more trust-building will be conducive to creating a benign condition in which to address differences when the time is proper.