China’s Contemporary Diplomacy and Emerging Powers with a View on Sino-Argentina Strategic Partnership
Prof. Jiemian YANG, President of Shanghai Institute for International Studies
Speech at the Argentine Council on International Relations, Buenos Aires, May 15, 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good afternoon. I am greatly honored to make a speech at your prestigious Council and my topic today is on China’s contemporary diplomacy and the strategic partnership between our two countries through the framework of the Emerging Powers
I. Chinese Diplomacy at a New Starting Point
This year marks the 30th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up which stands a new start point with historical significance for the Chinese diplomacy. There are at least three meanings for this new start point.
First, China has basically realized its tasks of opening-up and integrating with the outside world since its start of reform and opening-up in 1978. China is already a participant, preserver and constructor of the international system.
Second, China, as a regional power with global implication, is carrying out the relevant obligations and responsibilities in the world, such as contributing to the stability and growth of the global economy, preserving international peace, and promoting peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific Region.
Third, China is sparing no efforts to strive for a balance between its own national interests and those of the whole mankind, as well as the expansion of these two. China does not content with its status as the world’s workshop, but also tries hard to provide the international society with public goods in the nature of thoughts and spirits, such as the concept of the harmonious world.
The essence of the Chinese contemporary diplomacy can be summarized by “Three- Adherence”. The first adherence means China will unswervingly stay on the road of peaceful development. The thousands of Chinese traditional culture advocates that peace is the most precious and that governance of benevolence will please the close neighbors and attract the distant people. China’s rapid development in the past 30 years is attributable to the peaceful environments and its cooperation with the world. The future development of China’s needs further keeping to the principles of peace, development and cooperation. Moreover, even if China becomes a strong power in the distant future China will never ever repeat what the Western powers did to China and the like in those deplorable years.
The second adherence means that China will relentlessly pursue its win-win relationship with all other parties in the world. In its course of development, China has always been supporting and helping each other in a mutually beneficial manner. At present, China is working together with other countries to ensure mutual benefits and win-win ends in the realms of concepts, mechanisms, laws and regulations, and policies.
The third adherence is to be faithful to such principles as the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. Interests are very important but not the only basis for international relations. China has always stood with other countries to safeguard internationally recognized values and principles, among which stands out prominently the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. However, in the new era of globalization and information, all the mankind needs to work for new concepts and thinking reflecting the feature of our times. Therefore, China put forward such ideas of “People First”, “Scientific Concept of Development” and “Harmonious regions and world” aiming at achieving more consensus with the international society.
II. From Emerging Markets to Emerging Powers
In the past decades a dozen of developing countries are forging ahead first economically and has been called emerging markets. As what constitutes the emerging markets remains to be debated, yet it has been recognized that the emerging markets are contributing more than the developed ones to the world economic growth. The new alignment of economic powers is changing the institutions, rules, norms and codes of conducts. Among these changes, the G-20 is a good case in point.
The members of the G-20 are 19 countries plus the European Union. Namely, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The G-20 thus brings together important industrial and emerging-market countries from all regions of the world. Together, member countries represent around 90 per cent of global gross national product, 80 per cent of world trade (including EU intra-trade) as well as two-thirds of the world’s population. The G-20’s economic weight and broad membership gives it a high degree of legitimacy and influence over the management of the global economy and financial system.
However, the Emerging Markets are continuously moving onto Emerging powers for an international system that is fairer and more rational based on sovereign states, international law, multilateralism and just. This transformation is one of the great events of our time and its impacts to the international system and order will be felt in many years to come.
III. Historical Significance of the Collective Rising of the Emerging Powers
As the Emerging Markets are moving towards Emerging Powers, the road would not be easy. First, people are still discussing what constitute Emerging Powers. In my opinion, there are emerging and near-emerging powers, which are made up by existing and potential major developing powers. Some people would put the resource rich countries in this group as well.
Argentina is an important country in South America and it was listed among the top ten economies in the world in the 1980s. Currently, Argentina is reinvigorating its economy and strives for the revitalization of MERCOSUR.
Upon entering into the 21st Century, the collective rising of the Emerging Powers has become an important factor in influencing the course of international development. This collective rising has enhanced the multi-polar trends and multilateralism’s strength, expanded the connotation of international cooperation in general and South-South cooperation in particular, increased the developing nations’ rights of discourse in managing world affairs, and promoted the international system in the direction of more fairness and rationale.
In the course of collective rising, the Emerging Powers have the following three characteristics. First, while keeping to their own road of peaceful development, the Emerging Powers are promoting peaceful transition of international system. They are the powerhouses of world economic growth and safeguards of global peace. Second, they attach great importance to mechanism building among themselves as well as between themselves and the developed countries. Some consultative mechanisms are also shaping up among the emerging powers. Third, the emerging powers do have differences among themselves, but they agree to deal with these differences through dialogues instead of confrontation. This explains why the emerging and near emerging powers have successfully avoided conflicts among themselves.
IV. Beefing Up and Enriching Sino-Argentine Strategic Partnership
China and Argentina have enjoyed multi-tier and multi-dimensional relations. Our relationship is one between two important members within the Emerging Powers, and also constitutes China-Latin American relations. In 2004 China and Argentina established strategic partnership. In China’s diplomacy, strategic partnership does not mean military alliance but long term and overall relationship. China only partners with very few important and friendly countries in this sense. The years of continuous development of our relations deserve all the aforementioned characterizations.
It goes without saying that the relationship between our two emerging powers is of great importance. Here I would like to focus on the fields and prospects of our cooperation. At bilateral level, our two countries are mutually supportive on political matters, complementary each other in economic fields and communicative culturally. All these cooperation serve the interests of our two countries. In November 2004 Argentina recognized China as a full market economy. Presently, Argentina is China’s fourth largest trade partner in Latin America whereas China ranks the third exporting target country and third importing one. In 2006, the two-way trade volume was US$ 5.7 billion dollars, an increase of 11.3% over the same period of the previous year. By June 2007, the actual Chinese non-monetary investment in Argentina was US$ 376.8 million dollars and Argentina’s in China was US$ 142 million dollars. In terms of China’s contracted labor service in Argentina that started in 1985, the accumulated amount reached US$ 440 million dollars and the actually realized one was US$ 474 million dollars. Besides, there also sees remarkable progresses in the exchanges of cultures, educations, sports and peoples.
What I want to emphasize here is that our cooperation should not only stay at the government-to-government level, but also extend into people-to-people one as we are already entering civil society. Our two countries should spare no efforts to build up networks at different levels and in every fields.
Here in particular I want to express our thanks to Argentina for your support to the recent Olympic torch relay, which indeed started a new turn of peace and friendship in the follow-up routes. Your friendship will always be cherished by the 1.3 billion Chinese people.
At regional and cross-regional levels, both China and Argentina are major countries in their respect regions and hold important positions in the cross-regional cooperation between Asia and Latin America. As regional powers, both of us are trying our best to improve relations with the neighbors. For China, the Chinese President Hu Jintao just concluded a historical visit to Japan and the two countries are determined to carry out a forward-looking policy. The Sino-Indian relations have also held that their overall relations should not be held a hostage to some specific issues such as the border disputes. Here what merits our attention is Argentina’s vision and courage to establish strategic partnership and work together with Brazil in regional cooperation. We can learn from each other on how to reach rapprochements in the benefits of the regional cooperation.
At global level, both countries are for multilateralism and international law and justice. We maintain close coordination and cooperation on such matters as the UN reform. There are also great prospects for the two countries to meet the challenges of non-traditional security threats.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I was told that in Spanish “Buenos Aires” means clean air, what a foresight of the name-givers centuries ago. Now the whole world is dealing with climate change as one of the major topics of the global affairs. I was also told that geographically speaking, Shanghai and Buenos Ares are antipodal, just half way around the globe. As the Chinese ancient poem goes, “True friends ignore the far distance”. The Chinese and Argentine peoples will always stand side by side for a peaceful, prosperous and cooperative world.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.
2016/09/10 read：852
Prof. Jiemian YANG, President of Shanghai Institute for International Studies
Speech at the Argentine Council on International Relations, Buenos Aires, May 15, 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good afternoon. I am greatly honored to make a speech at your prestigious Council and my topic today is on China’s contemporary diplomacy and the strategic partnership between our two countries through the framework of the Emerging Powers
I. Chinese Diplomacy at a New Starting Point
This year marks the 30th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up which stands a new start point with historical significance for the Chinese diplomacy. There are at least three meanings for this new start point.
First, China has basically realized its tasks of opening-up and integrating with the outside world since its start of reform and opening-up in 1978. China is already a participant, preserver and constructor of the international system.
Second, China, as a regional power with global implication, is carrying out the relevant obligations and responsibilities in the world, such as contributing to the stability and growth of the global economy, preserving international peace, and promoting peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific Region.
Third, China is sparing no efforts to strive for a balance between its own national interests and those of the whole mankind, as well as the expansion of these two. China does not content with its status as the world’s workshop, but also tries hard to provide the international society with public goods in the nature of thoughts and spirits, such as the concept of the harmonious world.
The essence of the Chinese contemporary diplomacy can be summarized by “Three- Adherence”. The first adherence means China will unswervingly stay on the road of peaceful development. The thousands of Chinese traditional culture advocates that peace is the most precious and that governance of benevolence will please the close neighbors and attract the distant people. China’s rapid development in the past 30 years is attributable to the peaceful environments and its cooperation with the world. The future development of China’s needs further keeping to the principles of peace, development and cooperation. Moreover, even if China becomes a strong power in the distant future China will never ever repeat what the Western powers did to China and the like in those deplorable years.
The second adherence means that China will relentlessly pursue its win-win relationship with all other parties in the world. In its course of development, China has always been supporting and helping each other in a mutually beneficial manner. At present, China is working together with other countries to ensure mutual benefits and win-win ends in the realms of concepts, mechanisms, laws and regulations, and policies.
The third adherence is to be faithful to such principles as the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. Interests are very important but not the only basis for international relations. China has always stood with other countries to safeguard internationally recognized values and principles, among which stands out prominently the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. However, in the new era of globalization and information, all the mankind needs to work for new concepts and thinking reflecting the feature of our times. Therefore, China put forward such ideas of “People First”, “Scientific Concept of Development” and “Harmonious regions and world” aiming at achieving more consensus with the international society.
II. From Emerging Markets to Emerging Powers
In the past decades a dozen of developing countries are forging ahead first economically and has been called emerging markets. As what constitutes the emerging markets remains to be debated, yet it has been recognized that the emerging markets are contributing more than the developed ones to the world economic growth. The new alignment of economic powers is changing the institutions, rules, norms and codes of conducts. Among these changes, the G-20 is a good case in point.
The members of the G-20 are 19 countries plus the European Union. Namely, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The G-20 thus brings together important industrial and emerging-market countries from all regions of the world. Together, member countries represent around 90 per cent of global gross national product, 80 per cent of world trade (including EU intra-trade) as well as two-thirds of the world’s population. The G-20’s economic weight and broad membership gives it a high degree of legitimacy and influence over the management of the global economy and financial system.
However, the Emerging Markets are continuously moving onto Emerging powers for an international system that is fairer and more rational based on sovereign states, international law, multilateralism and just. This transformation is one of the great events of our time and its impacts to the international system and order will be felt in many years to come.
III. Historical Significance of the Collective Rising of the Emerging Powers
As the Emerging Markets are moving towards Emerging Powers, the road would not be easy. First, people are still discussing what constitute Emerging Powers. In my opinion, there are emerging and near-emerging powers, which are made up by existing and potential major developing powers. Some people would put the resource rich countries in this group as well.
Argentina is an important country in South America and it was listed among the top ten economies in the world in the 1980s. Currently, Argentina is reinvigorating its economy and strives for the revitalization of MERCOSUR.
Upon entering into the 21st Century, the collective rising of the Emerging Powers has become an important factor in influencing the course of international development. This collective rising has enhanced the multi-polar trends and multilateralism’s strength, expanded the connotation of international cooperation in general and South-South cooperation in particular, increased the developing nations’ rights of discourse in managing world affairs, and promoted the international system in the direction of more fairness and rationale.
In the course of collective rising, the Emerging Powers have the following three characteristics. First, while keeping to their own road of peaceful development, the Emerging Powers are promoting peaceful transition of international system. They are the powerhouses of world economic growth and safeguards of global peace. Second, they attach great importance to mechanism building among themselves as well as between themselves and the developed countries. Some consultative mechanisms are also shaping up among the emerging powers. Third, the emerging powers do have differences among themselves, but they agree to deal with these differences through dialogues instead of confrontation. This explains why the emerging and near emerging powers have successfully avoided conflicts among themselves.
IV. Beefing Up and Enriching Sino-Argentine Strategic Partnership
China and Argentina have enjoyed multi-tier and multi-dimensional relations. Our relationship is one between two important members within the Emerging Powers, and also constitutes China-Latin American relations. In 2004 China and Argentina established strategic partnership. In China’s diplomacy, strategic partnership does not mean military alliance but long term and overall relationship. China only partners with very few important and friendly countries in this sense. The years of continuous development of our relations deserve all the aforementioned characterizations.
It goes without saying that the relationship between our two emerging powers is of great importance. Here I would like to focus on the fields and prospects of our cooperation. At bilateral level, our two countries are mutually supportive on political matters, complementary each other in economic fields and communicative culturally. All these cooperation serve the interests of our two countries. In November 2004 Argentina recognized China as a full market economy. Presently, Argentina is China’s fourth largest trade partner in Latin America whereas China ranks the third exporting target country and third importing one. In 2006, the two-way trade volume was US$ 5.7 billion dollars, an increase of 11.3% over the same period of the previous year. By June 2007, the actual Chinese non-monetary investment in Argentina was US$ 376.8 million dollars and Argentina’s in China was US$ 142 million dollars. In terms of China’s contracted labor service in Argentina that started in 1985, the accumulated amount reached US$ 440 million dollars and the actually realized one was US$ 474 million dollars. Besides, there also sees remarkable progresses in the exchanges of cultures, educations, sports and peoples.
What I want to emphasize here is that our cooperation should not only stay at the government-to-government level, but also extend into people-to-people one as we are already entering civil society. Our two countries should spare no efforts to build up networks at different levels and in every fields.
Here in particular I want to express our thanks to Argentina for your support to the recent Olympic torch relay, which indeed started a new turn of peace and friendship in the follow-up routes. Your friendship will always be cherished by the 1.3 billion Chinese people.
At regional and cross-regional levels, both China and Argentina are major countries in their respect regions and hold important positions in the cross-regional cooperation between Asia and Latin America. As regional powers, both of us are trying our best to improve relations with the neighbors. For China, the Chinese President Hu Jintao just concluded a historical visit to Japan and the two countries are determined to carry out a forward-looking policy. The Sino-Indian relations have also held that their overall relations should not be held a hostage to some specific issues such as the border disputes. Here what merits our attention is Argentina’s vision and courage to establish strategic partnership and work together with Brazil in regional cooperation. We can learn from each other on how to reach rapprochements in the benefits of the regional cooperation.
At global level, both countries are for multilateralism and international law and justice. We maintain close coordination and cooperation on such matters as the UN reform. There are also great prospects for the two countries to meet the challenges of non-traditional security threats.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I was told that in Spanish “Buenos Aires” means clean air, what a foresight of the name-givers centuries ago. Now the whole world is dealing with climate change as one of the major topics of the global affairs. I was also told that geographically speaking, Shanghai and Buenos Ares are antipodal, just half way around the globe. As the Chinese ancient poem goes, “True friends ignore the far distance”. The Chinese and Argentine peoples will always stand side by side for a peaceful, prosperous and cooperative world.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.