China and the World (I)

On the first day of this year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Councilor of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi, gave a long interview to the English channel of the state group “China Global Television Network” / CGTN, which is under the control of the Advertising Department of the Communist Party of China, in which he made an extensive assessment of the country's foreign policy over 2020 and its projection for this year, and the future.

I believe that this topic is of the greatest interest - and importance - for all those interested in foreign policy and in China / Asia. For this reason, I decided to transcribe the conversation. I just translated, only, without any interference or personal consideration, since it is important to know the official view that the Chancellery of the People's Republic has on the role it understands to be that of China and its own in international relations.

As the text is too long, I decided: 1) split it into multiple posts, following the interview chronology; e 2) abbreviate, when possible, less significant stretches (well understood…). I invite friends to be patient and follow these posts. I am convinced that the matter deserves the effort. It will be up to them to separate the rhetoric from the reality. Anyway, I posted the “link” of the interview at the end of this text, that has English subtitles.

Here goes:

COVID-19

Covid has brought about profound transformations in a fluid and ever-changing world; on one side, protectionism, unilateralism and power politics have increased the obstacles to international cooperation; from another, the individuals, in all parts of the world, realized that all countries face the same problem and that they need to be united; more and more international society is privileging openness to isolation and cooperation to confrontation;

– China has come together around the common purpose of establishing greater strategic gains in the fight against Covid-19. We also came together around three critical battles: against poverty, pollution and its potential risks. The entire country is mobilized to build a moderately prosperous society. The 5th Plenary Meeting of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party established the main lines in the search for the rejuvenation of the nation;

– us at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, we are fighting the coronavirus and the “political virus” concurrently, in order to preserve our interests and world stability. We create a great defense against the virus at our borders, seeking to safeguard our economy and assist the expatriate Chinese community. We help to create an international shield against the virus. China launched a campaign never seen since the People's Republic, in 1949. We made more friends around the world; China deepened the bonds of friendship and cooperation with all countries and made active efforts to develop relations with the major powers and with its neighbors, promoting the interests of developing countries, in the search for a new format for international relations;

– we have shared the benefits of opening up China to the world. China signed the “Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership” (RCEP) and concluded the negotiations of the ´ ”China-European Investment Agreement”. We vigorously develop high-quality cooperation on “Belt and Road” (a “Belt and Road Initiative”, also known as the “New Silk Road” - my note), and we privilege public health, the green economy, digital transformation and the “Belt and Road Initiative”. All of these efforts have given a great impetus to the global recovery;

– we also maintained firmness in safeguarding our national interests and responded resolutely and rationally to the unjustified attitudes of the United States. We take action on topics related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang e o Tibete, through firm countermeasures, justified and proportionate and we win, one by one, fierce battles with international bodies, vigorously safeguarding sovereignty, China's dignity and interests;

– we support multilateral cooperation, advocating unequivocally multilateralism. China has supported international cooperation on climate change. We announce our ambitious goal to peak our carbon dioxide emissions and achieve carbon neutrality. We present a “Global Data Security Initiative” (“Global Initiative on Data Security”) to accelerate the reform of the global governance system;

– a China, on the road to national rejuvenation is creating global opportunities and embracing openness and cooperation. A Covid, that took everyone by surprise, created a pause in the closer relations between countries, but China did not pause its diplomacy in the face of difficulties. The main points of Chinese diplomacy have been “cloud diplomacy”, which is developed at the level of Heads of State. Summit diplomacy has been the compass of Chinese foreign policy. In 2020, President Xi Jinping personally planned and guided cloud diplomacy and maintained 87 telephone meetings and conversations with other leaders and heads of international organizations and participated in 22 bilateral and multilateral meetings. Through this diplomacy, he led global solidarity in the fight against Covid 19. Advocating a scientific response, he called on the international community for the prevention of contagion and the development of vaccines, avoiding politicization and stigmatization. This galvanized international cooperation. Through cloud diplomacy Xi Jinping has fueled confidence in the global economic recovery. Faced with the economic slowdown, President Xi made a series of proposals based on China's experience to coordinate the response to the pandemic with economic and social development, including preserving the smooth functioning of the world economy and the digital economy, in this way encouraging an open world economy;

– through cloud diplomacy, President Xi Jinping pointed the way to reforming the global governance system, since the growth of the economy was severely affected by the pandemic. This effort implies intense consultations, joint contributions and benefit-sharing and China's unequivocal commitment to multilateralism and more equitable global governance. Through cloud diplomacy, China demonstrates its sense of responsibility;

– China's response, since the beginning of the pandemic, can be seen through six viewing angles: we were the first country to announce the first pandemic cases to the world. More and more, research indicates that the pandemic started in various parts of the world. China immediately took steps in epidemiological research to identify pathogens. It was the first country to report on the sequencing of the virus. All of this has sounded the alarm in all parts of the world. We take radical measures to prevent the spread of the virus, putting health and people first and we can control spread in the shortest possible time and quickly restart economic and social activities in our country and we are quick to contribute to creating a global line of defense against the virus;

– we launched the alert all over the world. We organize more than 100 virtual contacts with experts from other countries. We share our experiences with other countries without any reservation. We provide assistance to more than 150 countries and 10 international organizations. We ship 36 medical teams to 34 countries in need of assistance and we channel funds to WHO and other relevant UN agencies. As a leading manufacturer of medical equipment, we equip several countries with more 220 billions of masks, 2,5 billions of uniforms and 1 billion tests. “Made in China” products have become the primary source of supplies. In the quest to provide assistance to developing countries, we engage in active collaboration in P&D on medicines and vaccines, bringing hope to the most affected developing countries. As the pandemic shows no end, China will maintain its international cooperation in responding to the pandemic and in assisting countries in need;

– the principle "of the people and for the people" are the source of the strength of the Chinese Communist Party. We did our best to prevent the pandemic from returning to China. We are at the forefront of international cooperation against cofid-19, seeking international synergy in this battle. We are also at the forefront against attempts to stigmatize and politicize. The safety of overseas Chinese remains a priority, no matter how. We alert the countries where the Chinese live and offer help to all who needed it, including telemedicine services. We send medical supplies to Chinese expatriates from more than 100 countries, and we provide 350 flights to bring back Chinese nationals. As the crisis is far from over, consular protection remains a formidable task.

Read the series of articles on Wong Yi and China

China and the world (I) – Covid-19

China and the world (II) – Relations with Russia and the United States

China and the world (III) – European Union, ASEAN, Africa, Middle East and Korean Peninsula

China and the world (IV) – Assertive Diplomacy

Fausto Godoy

Doctor of Public International Law in Paris. He entered the diplomatic career in 1976, served in Brussels embassies, Buenos Aires, New Delhi, Washington, Beijing, Tokyo, Islamabade (where he was Ambassador of Brazil, in 2004). He also completed transitional missions in Vietnam and Taiwan. Lived 15 years in Asia, where he guided his career, considering that the continent would be the most important of the century 21 - forecast that, now, sees closer and closer to reality.