UPWARD MOMENTUM
China’s regional diplomacy maintains a positive trend in 2018
CThe author is a senior researcher on world studies and an op-ed contributor to Beijing Review hina borders multiple neighbors; thus, managing relations with these states has always been a main focus of Chinese diplomacy.
After the Cold War, China’s neighborhood diplomacy had three major themes: maintaining amicable relations with neighboring countries, pushing forward regional cooperation and coping with challenges posed by the U.S. alliance system against China. These three objectives are of course interrelated. In this framework, bilateral interaction was the foundation, while regional cooperation played a leading role.
China’s diplomatic environment in its northern and western regions enjoyed overall stability, with challenges mostly coming from the southern and eastern areas. In the northern and western zones, China maintained a stable strategic partnership with Russia and developed sound relationships with Central Asian countries. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, established at the turn of the century, also progressed steadily.
However, China met increasing challenges from the United States in the southern and eastern areas due to strained bilateral relations caused by U.S. attempts to contain China to ensure its own hegemony in the Asian-pacific region. Nevertheless, China’s relations with countries in these areas still overcame difficulties and developed steadily. This was evident throughout 2018 in China’s neighborhood diplomacy.
U.S. challenges
Sino-u.s. relations have always been a very important factor affecting China’s relations with neighboring countries. After the Cold War, the United States tried to directly influence China’s national trajectory through the strategy of “engagement plus containment.” It also attempted to indirectly impact China through neighboring countries and regional organizations.
Thus, Washington has consistently used the tactic of trying to exploit existing regional problems to alienate China from its neighbors. Up to the Barack Obama administration, this tactic was used to force the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to take sides between China and the United States, and to openly state that China could not participate in the formulation of regional trade rules, trying to exclude China from regional trade by reshaping the Trans-pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).
Although U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the TPP after he came into office, he went even further than Obama in trying to contain China’s rapid development. Compared to Obama, who induced other countries to reject China with the promise of rewards, Trump has taken a strong approach trying to suppress China while forcing other countries to surrender profits to the United States. It was precisely this trade bullying that led to the Asia-pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting this year failing to issue a joint declaration for the first time in its history.
As an organization promoted by the United States after the Cold War, APEC’S objective is to promote the development of regional free trade. But today, the United States opposes APEC anti-trade protectionism proposals as it engages in this practice. During the meeting, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, on the one hand, made absurd accusations against China, and on the other hand, claimed that the United States is seeking an open Indo-pacific region, but that trade problems must be resolved through bilateral negotiations. Clearly, the United States enjoys an absolute advantage in any bilateral negotiations, which means that by laying aside the APEC platform and directly negotiating with countries one by one, it will gain the most benefits and facilitate the implementation of Trump’s “America First” policy. The strong attempt at the suppression of China will not only achieve the goal of cracking down on China, but will also help maximize U.S. power during bilateral negotiations. However, this is just wishful thinking on the part of the United States because even though it may sound good, it will be hard to realize. Most countries have been trying to gain more benefits from the Sino-u.s. competition while avoiding taking sides.
Moreover, although U.S. trade protectionism had a negative impact on economic cooperation in the Asia-pacific region, cooperation among East Asian countries still maintains a strong momentum. In May, the seventh China-japan-rok Leaders’ Meeting was held in Tokyo after it had been put on hold for two and a half years due to political factors. The leaders of the three countries reached a series of consensuses on further deepening cooperation, working together to promote regional and global peace, as well as enhancing world development and prosperity. The convening of the meeting and its results were a strong push back against U.S. trade bullying.
Regional hotspots
Throughout 2018, the situation of the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea, which have long troubled China’s security environment, showed positive change.
The United States has been trying to provoke Southeast Asian countries into confronting China on the South China Sea issue. Some countries were induced and hoped to use the power of the United States to make illicit gains. But soon they realized that such an approach not only makes them pawns of the United States in its efforts to contain China, but also worsens their own security environment. Therefore, it has become a consensus for relevant countries in the region to solve maritime disputes through dialogue and cooperation.
In May 2017, China and the ASEAN countries approved the framework of the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC). In August, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed a roadmap for COC negotiations while attending the CHINA-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, which arrived at a single draft COC negotiating text. This