President’s Message

 

2011 was the year we bid farewell to the unforgettable Shanghai World Expo and it was also the year that we celebrated the 90th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China. 2011 was also the first year of the 12t" Five Year Plan for China. In the theme of "serving diplomacy of China and the transitional development of Shanghai" in general, SIIS had been unswervingly exploring a road of building the institute into a global think-tank with Chinese characteristics. On one hand, SIIS proactively collaborated with the overall deepened national diplomacy, researches of diplomatic theories with Chinese characteristics and actively gave advice for the omni-directional diplomacy of China. On the other hand, SIIS closely followed the call of Shanghai"s “innovation-oriented, transitional development,” provided intellectual support for enhancing Shanghai’s international influence and its ability of opening up in the new period, and worked on the magnificent project, the post-World Expo internationalization of Shanghai.

The international situation was more complicated and volatile in 2011.Although the international balance of power remained to be in a general trend of “East ascent and West decline,” the Western domination in global politics, economy, diplomacy, military and cultures had not reversed fundamentally. The United States and other Western developed countries are readjusting their strategic deployment mixed with retreats and advances in an attempt to maintain their traditional supremacy in the course of the reshaping the international order. The world economic recovery is sluggish. The United States and developed European countries are trapped in economic recession and governance predicament. The EU debt crisis exhibits a complicated and multifarious trend, which has not only dragged down the world economic recovery, but also deeply dented the EU integration. The American economic recovery remains unstable, and the structural disease of its economy is hard to resolve in a short term. The political polarization and social bifurcation have intensified in the United States. The global economic governance is “crisis driven and hot-spot dominated,” and strategic demands have given way to ad hoc reactions. The economic governance at global, regional and national levels are under transitional and adjustment period and exposed to unprecedented challenges. In economic governance, strategic demand is rising on the global level, while the complication is looming on the regional level and so is particularity on the national level. 2011 was a year with soaring social movements sweeping across the world. The mass social movements targeting at the power establishment of the relevant nations that started from the North African region have exerted great impacts not only on developing but also developed countries as well in terms of political and social stability. The turmoils in the North Africa and West Asia have greatly altered the political and strategic templates of the Middle East Islamic region and caused sustainable impacts on big power relations.

The volatile international situation aside, China sticks to the peaceful development road, persists in active diplomacy, and makes great contribution to global and regional stability and development. The development in China agrees with the trend of international system transition, and pushes multipolarization and democratization of the international relations. However, while embracing historical opportunities, China is facing compounded challenges of internal and external contradictions and difficulties. China is faced with Western pressure, the periphery suspicion and expectation of the developing countries. Thus, China needs to shift from the diplomatic mentality of a weak power to the mentality of a big power or even a strong power, to shift from the diplomatic mindset of a traditional power to the mindset of a modern power, and to shift from a diplomatic vision of a regional power to a vision of a global power. China needs to shift from passive to response more preemptive planning, to work out mid- and long-term, global, regional and strategic agendas as early as possible, to transit from merely reading strategic reports of other powers to delivering its own strategic report as soon as possible and to formulate Asia-Pacific strategy, energy/resource strategy and maritime strategy under the framework of global strategy. China also needs to summarize its own development experience and its own outstanding cultures and on the base of which to learn from the world cultures, needs to actively participate in the shaping of global cultures, ideas and values, and provide the world with Chinese wisdom.

In 2011, SIIS cerebrated the 90th Anniversary of the Founding of CPC and the 100th Anniversary of the 1911 Revolution in a way of highlighting its own professions. Stressing scientific research management, SIIS hosted seminars, symposiums, and essay contest, wrote books, and held exhibitions of thematic photos. SIIS keeps in mind the diplomatic theories with Chinese characteristics to prop up innovation regarding the administration system of research, and to foster distinctive researches. Drawing on the precious experience of participating in the Shanghai World Expo, SIIS stepped up its serving for the broad-sensed foreign affairs of Shanghai. In 2011, the institute lost no time in undertaking institutional reforms of its own, carried out the 10-Year Development Program and further advanced the reform on the structure of faculties in terms of size, posts and functions.

In 2012, SIIS will undergo the transitional period of its own reform. It will fulfill the requirements of China, of Shanghai, and of its own development by further optimizing the structure of the institutes, implementing the three-year development goals of the institutes, departments and centers of SIIS respectively, stepping up its ability to serve China"s overall diplomacy and Shanghai"s broad-sensed diplomacy, highlighting the feature of research of the institutes, strengthening talent training, upholding Shanghai"s core values—“just, inclusiveness, patriotism, and trust,” honoring the motto of SIIS—“profession, innovation, patriotism and statecraft,” and building up the institutional culture. In a word, SIIS will thrive for greater achievements to greet the opening of the 18th National Congress of CPC.

We are with gratitude to say farewell to the year 2011 and thank all of you for your support throughout the year. We are looking forward to you, old friends as well as new, for your further concern attention and encouragement in the year of 2012. Let us greet for the advent of the new year with even greater confidence and zeal.