Friends, Not Allies

allow differences in social systems and ideology to affect state-to-state relations. China will always reach fair conclusions on the merits of each matter and design policies accordingly. The country will never choose to rely on any superpower, nor will it seek alliance with anyone. So far, it has made itself the largest trading partner of over 120 countries and territories.

Some might argue that China has led the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. Are these examples of alliance? By no means. They are all multilateral cooperation mechanisms under the framework of peaceful development, based on a partnership between friends, rather than allies.

As the second largest economy in the world, China is making its presence increasingly felt on the international stage. Meanwhile, the country has taken up its due role as a responsible power by contributing an array of Chinese schemes and wisdom to global governance. Particularly, China has become an engine of world economic growth. Against this backdrop, all kinds of distortions began to emerge in many Western countries, accompanied by the “China threat” theory. To contain China, the U.S. tries to gather as many allies as possible, sometimes even at its own cost.

Yet the country continues to take a firm stance in this regard. President Xi Jinping has stressed on many international occasions that however strong it may grow, China will never seek hegemony, expansion, or a sphere of influence. Nor will China ever engage in an arms race. China will take an active part in multilateral cooperation on trade and investment, and develop new systems for a higher-standard open economy. It prefers dialogue and cooperation to any zero-sum game.