Abstract
During the past two years, the new Chinese leadership has adopted a series of new measures in its diplomacy. It is a period with most intensive and forceful diplomatic innovations since the beginning of the reform and opening-up. This article identifies five such innovations: innovations in self-identity, in strategic thinking, in institution-building, in use of instruments, and in choice of methods. With these diplomatic innovations, China is exploring great power diplomacy with distinctive Chinese characteristics. At the same time, these innovations do not represent a diplomatic revolution. The basic diplomatic principles and ways of conduct in Chinese diplomacy have not changed. China still wants to be a new type of great power; development is still a central diplomatic agenda; China will continue its non-alliance partnership diplomacy; China will uphold the sovereignty equality principle and restrict the use of force in foreign policy. Even by the year of 2030, unless there is an unlikely fundamental deterioration of the external environment, China shall have no reasons to change these basic principles and ways of conducting its diplomacy. China needs more diplomatic innovations, but should not rush to a diplomatic revolution.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
http://global.Britannica/Rechecked/topic/16462l/Diplomatic-Revolution, Login date: August 20, 2014.
- 2.
Shi [1].
- 3.
Wang [2].
- 4.
Policy Research Office of CPC Central Committee [3].
- 5.
Wu [4].
- 6.
Wang Yi’s Answer to Chinese and Foreign Journalists’ Questions at the Press Conference on China's Foreign Policy and Foreign Relations held by the Second Session of the Twelfth National People's Congress, People's Daily, March 9, 2014.
- 7.
Cui [5].
- 8.
Nathan and Ross [6].
- 9.
Lecompton [7]. See also Linda Jacobson and Dean Knox, New Foreign Policy Acton in China, SIPR1 Policy Paper No. 26, September 2010.
- 10.
Meng Xiangqing: China's Establishment of the National Security Commission at the Right Time, PLA Daily, November 22, 2013.
- 11.
China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman and Director-General of the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang on Public Diplomacy, http://fangtan.people.com.cn/GB/147550/17592355.html, login date: September 28, 2014.
- 12.
Chen and Chang [8].
- 13.
Xi Jinping: Offering Timely Help, Jointly Creating New Era in the Development of Sino-Mongolian Relationship—a speech at the State Great Khural in Mongolia, http://www.fmprc.gov.ca/mfa_cha/wliao_611306/zyjh_611308/tl184896. Steal, login date: September 22, 2014.
- 14.
Zhou Fangyin argued that in the fields of neighborhood diplomacy, “under the premise of adhering to the overall development of friendly relationship with neighboring countries, implement policy having certain degree of differentiation to the neighboring countries, and appropriately increase the differential policy efforts.” See Zhou Fangyin, “Target, Resources and Policy Choice of China's New neighborhood Diplomacy around the World”, Oriental Morning Post, January 14, 2014.
- 15.
See Chen [9].
- 16.
Speech of Xi Jinping on the German Kolb Fund, March 28, 2014, Germany Berlin, http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2014-03/29/content_j2649512.html, login date: August 22, 2014.
- 17.
Li Yuanchao: the position that China is still a developing country has not changed, http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/0708/cl001-25254455.html, login date: August 22, 2014.
- 18.
Wang Yi: Exploration on Great Power Diplomatic Road of the Chinese Characteristics, Decision-Making, No. 1, 2014, p. 18.
- 19.
Shi [10].
- 20.
Liu [11].
- 21.
See Fudan State Council's Strategic Report Writing Group: Fudan China's National Security Strategy Report—Security, Development and International Co-progressiveness, November 2014.
- 22.
Xuetong Yan: China May Consider Changing the “Non-Alliance Strategy”, Defense Times, June 8, 2011.
- 23.
Hu [12].
- 24.
Yan [13].
- 25.
National Intelligence Council, Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds, December 2012, p.16.
- 26.
National Intelligence Council, Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds, p. 1, 16.
- 27.
Richard Haas, “The Era of Disorder,” Project Syndicate, October 27, 2014, http://www.project-syndi-cate.org/commentary/new-era-of-global-instability-by-richard-n-haass-2014-10#qUH31dHfDvSIlZfm.99, Login date: October 30, 2014.
- 28.
Kang [14].
- 29.
Department of Foreign Affairs, CPC Central Committee Document Research Office. Chou En-lai's Diplomatic Papers, Beijing: Central Literature Publishing House, 1990, pp. 131–132.
- 30.
Eric Fish, “A Glimpse into Chinese Nationalism,” The Diplomat, November 7, 2014, http://thediplo.mat.com/2014/11/a-glimpse-into-Chinese-nationalism/, login date: November 12, 2014.
References
Yinhong Shi, China-Japan Rapprochement and Diplomatic Revolution, Strategy and Management, No.3, 2003, p. 74
Yi Wang, Exploration on great-power diplomatic road of Chinese characteristics, Decision-Making, No. 1, 2014, p. 18
Policy Research Office of CPC Central Committee, The Chronicle Biography of Deng Xiaoping (1975-1977), Beijing: Central Literature Publishing House, 2004, p. 1191
Xinbo Wu, Great-Power Diplomacy: Challenges and Response, Oriental Morning Post, March 18, 2014
Liru Cui, The Transformation of International Patterns and the Transformation of China's Diplomacy, International Relations Studies, No. 4, 2014, p. 8
Andrew Nathan and Robert Ross, Great Wall and the Empty Fortress: China’s Search for Security, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997, p. 14
David M. Lecompton, ed., The Making of Chinese Foreign and Security Policy in the Era of Reform, 1978- 2000, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001, p. 12
Zhimin Chen, Lulu Chang, Resources and Use of Power: A Concurrent Study of China's Diplomatic Power Strategy, World Economy and Politics, No. 7, 2012, p. 15
Zhimin Chen, Chinese-Style Incremental Improvement Strategy of the Global Governance System, Contemporary World, No. 8, 2014, p. 10
Yinhong Shi, Contemporary China's Foreign Strategic Thinking: Ideology, Fundamental Strategies, Current Challenges and China's Characteristics, World Economy and Politics, No .9, 2009, p. 22
Jianfei Liu, Reflections on China's Diplomacy in Recent Years, Exploration and Contention, No. 4, 2012, p. 41
Angang Hu, 2030 China: Towards Common Prosperity, Beijing: China Renmin University Press, 2011, pp. 196-197
Xuetong Yan, Inertia of the past: China and the World of the Next Decade, Beijing: CITIC Press, 2013 edition, p.5
David Kang, China Rising: Peace, Power, and Order in East Asia, New York: Columbia University Press, 2007, p. 41
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Social Sciences Academic Press and Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chen, Z. (2021). Does China’s Diplomatic Innovation Need Diplomatic Revolution?. In: Zhang, Y., Shao, B. (eds) China’s International Relations. Research Series on the Chinese Dream and China’s Development Path. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4679-9_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4679-9_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-4678-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-4679-9
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)