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25SJIF 2023 = 6.131 / ASI Factor = 1.7
3(7), July, 2023
FOREIGN POLICY CONCEPTS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Xiao Zheng (Cho H^eH)
Master student of the 1st course of the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies Place of employment: JV LLC "Asia Trans Gas" Head of office work department
The relevance of the study is due to the increased attention to the modern foreign policy of the People's Republic of China. The article analyzes the concepts of China's foreign policy. The study used methods of both theoretical and empirical levels. With the help of the comparative method, it was possible to establish common and different aspects in the main directions of PRC foreign policy from the middle of the 20th century to the present. Aspect analysis made it possible to consider the problem of China's foreign policy relations from the standpoint of researchers studying this problem. As a result, it was revealed that the following conceptual ideas form the basis of China's official foreign policy strategy: five principles of peaceful coexistence, the theory of "peace and development" by Deng Xiaoping, the theory of "harmonious world", the concept of "Chinese dream" by Xi Jinping. The materials of the article can be used for comparative analysis of China's foreign policy in interstate unions.
Key words: the modern foreign policy of the People Republic of China, five principles of peaceful coexistence, the theory of "peace and development" by Deng Xiaoping, the theory of "harmonious world", the concept of "Chinese dream" by Xi Jinping.
Актуальность исследования обусловлена повышенным вниманием к современной внешней политике Китайской Народной Республики. В статье анализируются концепции внешней политики Китая. В исследовании использовались методы как теоретического, так и эмпирического уровня. С помощью сравнительного метода удалось установить общие и различные стороны в основных направлениях внешней политики КНР с середины ХХ века по настоящее время. Аспектный анализ позволил рассмотреть проблему внешнеполитических отношений Китая с позиций исследователей, изучающих эту проблему. В результате было выявлено, что в основе официальной внешнеполитической стратегии Китая лежат следующие концептуальные идеи: пять принципов мирного сосуществования, теория «мира и развития» Дэн Сяопина, теория «гармоничного мира», концепция «китайской мечты» Си
ABSTRACT
АННОТАЦИЯ
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Цзиньпина. Материалы статьи могут быть использованы для сравнительного анализа внешней политики Китая в межгосударственных объединениях.
Ключевые слова: современная внешняя политика КНР, пять принципов мирного сосуществования, теория «мира и развития» Дэн Сяопина, теория «гармоничного мира», концепция «китайской мечты» Си Цзиньпина.
INTRODUCTION
An important feature of Chinese foreign policy at the present stage is the implementation of multilateral diplomacy and stimulation of the development of mechanisms for regional cooperation, which is reflected in the activities of the People's Republic of China in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The fundamental foreign policy positions of China are enshrined in the "White Paper" [1] published regularly since 1998. The latest, ninth White Paper, published in May 2015, focused on China's military strategy, as well as the country's current position in the international arena. Thus, it notes that in the context of constant changes in the international geopolitical situation, new challenges to China's security are emerging. Nevertheless, the document emphasizes that the PRC is pursuing a purely defensive policy:
• unity of strategic defense and readiness for tactical attack;
• adherence to the principles of defense, self-defense and retaliatory strike against the enemy;
• observance of the position "We will not attack until we are attacked, but we will certainly fight back if attacked" [2].
The ninth White Paper contains new aspects of China's foreign policy priorities in relation to the future world order:
• a course towards raising the international position and seizing leadership in the military sphere, expanding China's influence;
• transition to ensuring security not only of coastal areas, but also on the high
seas;
• the desire to develop military cooperation with other countries, primarily with Russia: "the armed forces of the PRC will promote mutual exchange and cooperation with the Russian army within the framework of a comprehensive strategic partnership and coordination between China and the Russian Federation"
MAIN CONCLUSIONS AND RESULTS
In Chinese expert circles, the theme of the role of the PRC in the world arena is being discussed quite actively, which, in particular, is reflected in the works of the researcher Zhang Baijia, who identified four main tasks of China's foreign policy in the near future:
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1. Protecting national sovereignty and ensuring economic security.
2. Fighting hegemonism, power politics and terrorism, encouraging the establishment of a more just and rational new international political and economic order.
3. Adaptation to various changes in international relations after the end of the Cold War, especially to a comprehensive restructuring of relations between the major powers and an unprecedented revival of the activities of various regional and interregional cooperation organizations.
4. Adaptation to the impact on China of the trend of economic globalization and the rapid development of high technologies [3].
The regional priorities of China's foreign policy are the development of relations:
1) with the leading countries of the world: the USA, Russia, France, Germany, Great Britain, since these states are the main players on the world stage;
2) with neighbors: Japan, Korea, countries of Southeast Asia;
3) with the developing countries of Africa and Latin America [4].
Chinese-Russian relations are an important direction in the foreign policy of the
"peaceful revival of the People's Republic of China". China relies on strategic partnerships both at the bilateral and multilateral levels within various international structures, including the SCO. The Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between China and Russia, signed on July 16, 2001, laid the foundation for the development of agreements on mutual trust and the reduction of armaments in the border areas, on the demarcation of the eastern and cooperation within the framework of the SCO [5]. The basis of the official foreign policy strategy of the People's Republic of China is built on conceptual ideas. Let's look at them in more detail.
Five principles of peaceful coexistence.
In 1953, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhou Enlai for the first time put forward five principles of peaceful coexistence:
• mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,
• mutual non-aggression,
• non-interference in each other's internal affairs,
• equality and mutual benefit,
• peaceful coexistence.
A year later, during Zhou Enlai's visit to India and Burma, a joint communique was published in which the three states appealed to the world community to make these five principles of peaceful coexistence the universal norms of international relations. It is important to note that these principles were not only included in the
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Constitution of the People's Republic of China (1982), but also became the basis on which China establishes and develops friendly relations with all countries of the world. Deng Xiaoping's "peace and development" theory. Since its inception in 1949 and up to the present day, the PRC has repeatedly changed its own foreign policy strategy. This was primarily due to internal political changes, the tightening or softening of ideological oppression, economic and political closeness during the years of Mao Zedong's rule. In the early 1980s, PRC leader Deng Xiaoping came up with a proposal to carry out large-scale economic, social and political reforms. The basis of his theory of "peace and development" was the reorientation from the theoretical dogmas of Marxism to objective "reality", that is, to the actual state of affairs. Deng Xiaoping promoted the concept of China's openness to the world, its active integration into the globalizing world and the world economy. This theory was called "socialism with Chinese characteristics". It assumed the preservation of the socialist system in the country with a gradual reorientation towards the capitalist economy. The traditional Maoist thesis that "poor socialism is better than rich capitalism" has been challenged. Deng Xiaoping's ideas included not only the fundamental modernization of the People's Republic of China in four main areas (defence industry, science, agriculture, and industrial production), but also a revision of the foreign policy "narrow regionalism". Due to the lack of own funds in the state, it was decided to open China to foreign investors. The new foreign policy concept assumed both economic and political, cultural and social openness of the country to the world. The theory of "harmonious world". Deng Xiaoping's concept was supplemented by the "harmonious world" theory developed by PRC President Hu Jintao. For the first time, this theory was put forward by him in September 2005 at a meeting on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the UN. The "harmonious world" theory meant building a "harmonious" Asia and a "harmonious world", promoting peace, development and cooperation throughout the world, and expanding and developing China's international relations. Speaking in 2006 at Yale University, Hu Jintao revealed the main provisions of the new concept. It was based on traditional Chinese "harmonious" values. According to Hu Jintao, social harmony has always been an integral part of the mentality of the Chinese people, their values and culture, so China is now acting as a builder of a harmonious society. The People's Republic of China stands for good relations with neighboring countries and strives to ensure that all states of the world live in harmony with each other [6]. In 2007, at the 17th Congress of the CPC, Hu Jintao called for the building of a "harmonious world" to face the challenges posed to mankind in recent decades. In the context of creating a "harmonious society" and "harmonious world", a special place was given to the
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scientific concept of development. Its essence consisted in all-round, harmonious and sustainable development with a single and integrated planning focused on a person acting as the main center and basis of this concept [7]. The implementation of the construction of a "harmonious world" is unthinkable without the implementation of the scientific concept of development, and the "harmonious world", according to the Chinese vision, is a necessary condition for the existence of mankind within the framework of modern globalization trends. "Harmonious world" is sustainable development and prudent use of non-reproducible resources and energy resources, overcoming the differences between the South and the North and overcoming the suffering of mankind: poverty, disease, wars, violence and terror [8]. As a result, the foreign policy of the modern People's Republic of China has become open and focused on achieving peace, development and cooperation: it "strives to use the achievements of other civilizations to advance towards peace and development through cooperation, strives to play its role in building a harmonious world, long-term peaceful relations and common prosperity" [6]. According to Hu Jintao, the main tenet of the "harmonious world" theory is the cooperation of all actors in the world arena to ensure global security, establish a long-lasting, predictable peace and common prosperity. Pursuing the goal of building a "harmonious world" in its foreign policy, the People's Republic of China "will try, strictly observing the principles of the UN, to actively participate in international affairs, fulfill international obligations, and promote the establishment of a new, just, reasonable world order" [9]. As Yu Keping, head of the Center for Comparative Economic and Political Studies, notes, "China's theory of a harmonious world has much in common with the theory of global governance that is widespread in the world. Both are rooted in a concern for the common destiny of mankind, both oppose unilateralism and hegemonism, both emphasize the solution of the common issues of each state through international cooperation, both oppose the "world ruled by America" and emphasize the increasing role of the UN, both strongly establish a new world political and economic order. This is the Chinese view of global governance, this is China's worldview in the face of new realities and trends in a changing world" [10]. The very idea of building a "harmonious world" and carrying out peaceful development is not only a strategic concept, but also the ideological basis of China's foreign policy. A "harmonious world" is the ultimate goal, the attainment of which will guide China's activities in the international arena. Xi Jin Ping's "Chinese Dream" concept. The impetus for the emergence of the Chinese national idea was the specifics of the current stage of the country's development: significant economic and social growth, increased influence on the world stage, the departure from the policy of "narrow regionalism" and the
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emergence of the ambitions of a world power. In 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a new foreign policy concept - the "Chinese Dream". The concept consists of three main components:
• strong and rich state,
• national revival,
• people's happiness.
As noted in one of the media, the "Chinese dream" is the common goal of the entire Chinese people and the desire of every single citizen of the country, and tireless efforts will be made to achieve it [11]. That is, the implementation of the "Chinese dream" will turn the country into a rich, powerful, democratic, civilized and harmonious modernized socialist state. The means to achieve this goal are the strengthening of economic interaction and the expansion of cooperation in Eurasia. A large place in the concept of the "Chinese dream" is occupied by the idea of the exclusive role of the People's Republic of China as a country promoting the idea of peaceful development and international cooperation, "harmonious world", Chinese traditional ideals and values that are useful for the entire world community. The younger generation of Chinese will play a huge role in the implementation of this concept. By 2049, that is, by the 100th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, it is necessary to build a rich, powerful, democratic, civilized, harmonious socialist modern state. In May 2013, Xi Jinping emphasized in an interview that China will not only develop itself, but also be responsible for the development of the whole world and contribute to this development, creating benefits not only for the people of China, but also for the peoples of the whole world: "The fulfillment of the Chinese dream will bring peace to the world, not upheaval; this is a chance, not a threat" [12].
CONCLUSION
In the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China, which has undergone significant changes over the past decades, a general trend has emerged towards increasing the international prestige of China as a friendly and peaceful country, towards openness to various formats of international cooperation. In this context, China's participation in the SCO fully corresponds to the country's foreign policy priorities. China is one of the founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Participation in its activities was considered by the Chinese leadership as a strategic priority in relations with the countries of Central Asia and with Russia. At the same time, China has always placed emphasis on the economic component of cooperation. Thus, in 2015, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Keqiang announced the need to develop international economic cooperation in the format of forming a free trade zone within the SCO by 2020, a trade and
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industrial association in the field of electronic commerce, which in the future should allow member countries SCO to carry out cross border operations. The territories of Central Eurasia have great economic potential, which means that the development of mutually beneficial relations between China and the countries of the region is an important factor in the development of a market economy as an important component of the Chinese development model and the method of realizing the "Chinese dream".
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