Answers to Four Key Questions about China’s Rise

To change that, the two countries could exhibit a more positive tone and conduct more visible cooperation in such areas as climate change, counterterrorism, curbing pandemics, and cyber security. Both countries need a prosperous and stable Asia. We should identify areas where we agree and work on them. In areas where we can’t agree, let’s put aside differences for further discussion.

We should state together our support for the multilateral frameworks led by ASEAN and leave minimum space for regional countries to worry about China-U.S. conflict or to take sides.

On the part of China, we should carefully consider how our actions might affect our neighbors. We should explain ourselves more proactively – to make our voice better heard – so that the outside world can have a more timely and objective understanding of our thinking and intentions.

Fourth, how do the Chinese people see their country’s role in the world and its international responsibilities? Should China share global responsibility with the United States?

The world today is constantly troubled by conflicts in different regions. The Ukraine issue has not yet cooled down and the temperature continues to rise in the Middle East. China is perceived as not playing a sufficient role or even as shirking responsibilities.

In China, people see that most of the world’s problems started from the wrong foot and then led to a mess. The easiest way to resolve an issue is to stop the fighting and find a compromise among the parties concerned. It is a widely held belief in China that countries should not interfere in each other’s internal affairs. So China may join in discussions about hotspot issues with the aim of seeking a peaceful solution, but it will not turn into a party involved in the conflict or take steps that make the problem worse.

How about China’s global responsibility?

First and foremost, as a country accounting for one fifth of the world population, growing prosperous and staying stable in itself is a very important contribution of China to the world.

As for world security issues, China has offered good offices on the Korean nuclear issue and promoted stability in Afghanistan. We are also parties to many of the negotiations concerning regional and world security. However, China does not see itself as having an overriding power over other countries. Our view is this: should there be the need for international involvement, the opinion of the country concerned and the regional view must come first, and the UN’s authorization cannot be circumvented.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has elaborated on the concept of Asian security, which promotes common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security. That’s a crystallization of China’s security thinking, and it also goes along with the general thinking in Asia. It is also important that China provides more public goods as its ability grows. For example, since 2008, the Chinese Navy has sent 45 ships to the pirate-ridden Gulf of Aden on escort missions, and half of the ships they helped were non-Chinese.

China has actively participated in international cooperation in disaster relief, combating transnational crimes, and maritime security. China now ranks the first among developing countries in terms of peacekeeping assessment at the UN, and is the biggest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the Security Council.

China also strives to share anti-poverty experiences with African and other developing countries. Chinese medical personnel are at the forefront of fighting the deadly Ebola virus and much assistance and many resources have been sent from China.

Asia is the key area for China’s international cooperation. China’s initiatives to develop the Silk Road Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road are aimed at expanding connectivity and promoting common development. It combines China’s advantages and the regional needs. This modern Silk Road is not a closed or exclusive arrangement. We welcome participation by other countries, including the United States.

When the U.S. judges China or other countries on their roles in the world, it often prefers others to just “follow me” or “do for me.” This approach does not go down well with the Chinese people. On the other hand, in China, we also need to fully understand and appreciate our country’s new position in the world and grow into this new role. The direction to go is that where the Chinese and Americans try to understand and appreciate each other’s views and positions better. That is indispensable should the two countries want to work closely and effectively on world strategic issues.

(This article is adapted from remarks by Fu Ying, chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of China’s National People’s Congress at the Asia Society Dialogue on October 12, 2014.)

(Source: china.org.cn)