[Editor’s Note] In October this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a report at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, detailing how he will lead the CCP to realize its vision of governing the country, indicating that the central task of the CCP in the future is to “unite and lead the The Chinese people will comprehensively build a modern and powerful socialist country, achieve the second centenary goal, and comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization.”
It may not be easy to understand the 20th National Congress report, which is more than 30,000 words in length, but it is the most direct document for understanding the strategic intentions and governance planning of the Chinese Communist Party in the coming period.
Why does the CCP, which takes Marxism as its theoretical banner, actively promote the Sinicization of the ideological field?
What is the long-term firm confidence shown by the CCP, and what is the difference between the "Chinese-style modernization" officially explained in the report and Western modernization?
How does the CCP understand Xi Jinping's "great changes unseen in a century", and what changes will China, which is at the center of the changes, bring to the world structure?
This series of articles revolves around these questions.
(Series Eight of Ten)
It is said that Napoleon said a word to the British who had just visited the Qing Empire in 1816: China is a sleeping lion, and once it wakes up, it will shock the world.
It doesn't matter whether Napoleon said this sentence, but using it to open up the conversation about China's international relations and make people reflect on the changes that are taking place in the world structure can be regarded as a single sentence.
If the founding of the United States in 1776 and the invention of the steam engine in Britain are used as the symbols of the rise of the West, the world has indeed undergone many changes in the past 250 years.
During this period, China turned from prosperity to decline, experienced countless hardships, and finally gradually recovered its status as a major country after the reform and opening up. No one doubts that it is promoting national rejuvenation.
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China provided a lot of information for this purpose.
The Chinese Communist Party seeks great harmony for the world to lead a century-old change
Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently published an article saying that Xi Jinping "declared clearly" at the 20th National Congress that the Chinese Communist Party "is also a party that seeks progress for mankind and great harmony for the world."
Wang Yi believes that Xi Jinping "has unequivocally clarified the political stance and historical awareness of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics."
Self-confidence in international affairs is the highlight of the 20th report.
After the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping planned to promote a series of diplomatic activities of the head of state, communicating with the world in his own way.
Some people think that using "lion" to describe China is too vicious. Wouldn't it be better to use "dragon"?
Or will the use of "rabbit" make traditional powers let down their guard?
In fact, the rise of China is like the saying "the elephant in the room". No one can see it. As long as you don't have "hegemony" in your heart, the "room" is big enough for the elephants to wander around.
Traditional powers are unfamiliar with China's diplomacy, and they are stumbling forward in adaptation.
Change is the normal state of the world, and there is no such thing as constant.
However, old habits continue to negate new changes, ignoring that "the world's major changes unseen in a century" are taking place rapidly.
The vested interests of the old world naturally insist on the international order they are used to, while the "proletariat" that was ignored and oppressed in the old world - the developing countries, of course welcome the arrival of changes.
As the largest "proletariat" in the world, even if China has developed, it insists on getting rich first and then getting rich later, and promoting the construction of a community of shared future for mankind.
This is where the "change" lies, and it is also a "threat" to vested interests. Who would not want to "share fate" with the rich?
Of course, the monopoly class does not want to see a revolution, but this time is a revolution that has not happened in the world for a century, and no force can control it.
The change in the world pattern is not easy to understand. It is too huge to be understood with ordinary eyes. In other words, there are not enough theories to interpret it, let alone "the world's major changes unseen in a century."
What has changed, the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has helped us sort out.
What kind of international environment is China in?
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China believes that "the international situation is changing rapidly, especially in the face of external blackmail, containment, blockade, and extreme pressure." Security is severely challenged," and "there are many shortcomings in national defense and military modernization."
The report's judgment is that "the world is once again standing at the crossroads of history", which is "a challenging era" and "human society is facing unprecedented challenges".
Xi Jinping raised the question of the times to the international environment in his own unique language: "What happened to the world, what should we do?"
What should China do in the midst of the "great changes unseen in the world in a century"?
The report of the 20th National Congress clearly stated that the "common values of all mankind" are "peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom." China's goal is to "promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind." It is "the essential requirement of Chinese-style modernization."
In Xi Jinping's words: "The world is so big and there are so many problems. The international community looks forward to hearing China's voice and seeing China's solutions. China cannot be absent."
Build a global governance system based on consultation and sharing
What is the Chinese plan?
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China declares that China will "actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system, and practice the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits" and "promote the development of global governance in a more just and reasonable direction."
This plan is based on the traditional Chinese concept that "all things grow together without harming each other, and Tao runs without conflict."
The success of China's economic construction is based on the reform and opening up. To resolve the troubles of the "big change", the CCP still adopts the strategy of opening up.
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China stated that "we will firmly pursue a mutually beneficial and win-win strategy of opening up, continue to provide new opportunities for the world with China's new development, promote the construction of an open world economy, and better benefit the people of all countries."
The CCP firmly believes that "promoting international macroeconomic policy coordination, jointly creating an international environment conducive to development, and jointly cultivating new drivers of global development" is "the correct direction of economic globalization."
In order to "narrow the gap between the North and the South" and "support and help the vast number of developing countries to accelerate their development," "China is willing to increase resource input for global development cooperation."
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China believes that the construction of the global governance system should be "an international order based on international law and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter." institutional influence, and enhance the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries in global affairs.”
China has known in history that a weak country has no diplomacy.
Some people think that Xi Jinping abandoned Deng Xiaoping's policy of keeping a low profile and bide his time, accusing China of taking a radical stance in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and even on the Sino-Indian border.
When President Carter of the United States heard Deng Xiaoping say that the PLA would launch a "self-defense counterattack against Vietnam," he probably understood that keeping a low profile is not about giving in, let alone sitting and waiting to die when being surrounded.
The international situation is not conducive to the status of the United States as a unipolar superpower. The rise of China has accelerated the deterioration of the situation, so that Washington has continuously made wrong judgments and lost ground in offense and defense.
This is because the nature of American hegemony or the lack of ability of successive presidents to control the overall situation is unknown, but it is definitely not because China is trying to replace the United States.
China emphasizes national security and development interests because Western powers headed by the United Kingdom and the United States once invaded China.
Readers who are familiar with modern Chinese history know that the tension in the Taiwan Strait is due to the United States actively intervening in the confrontation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party after the Korean War, which is the history of the Cold War.
In recent years, American politicians have diverted internal difficulties by fabricating external enemies, but the result is that they are riding a tiger.
Taiwan is the biggest variable in China's international relations. The CCP's goal is very clear, which is the unification of China. There can be many changes in the path or means, but all of them will have an impact on Sino-US relations.
The report of the 20th National Congress made no secret of this, linking "the separatist activities of Taiwan independence forces with the serious provocations of external forces interfering in Taiwan affairs" and "consolidating the international community's adherence to the one-China pattern."
If a poor China needed to "hit one punch and avoid a hundred punches" in the Korean War, would the United States really be willing to risk another war with China and hinder China's completion of the reunification process?
Combating Traditional Hegemony and Confrontational Thinking with Peace Initiatives
The CCP firmly believes that "changes in the world, times, and history are unfolding in an unprecedented way." Its norms for handling international affairs are very different from those of traditional hegemons. Determine your own position and policy right and wrong."
The CCP’s unique approach was put to the test in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but it proved to be an immediate difference between China’s peaceful stance and the U.S.’s confrontational strategy with no way out.
The CCP’s 20th National Congress report adopted defensive and moderate statements in the military and diplomatic chapters.
In terms of military affairs, the theme is to strengthen the military and run the military, which is defensive in nature. The goal is to "enhance the strategic ability to defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests", "build a strong strategic deterrent force system", and "provide strategic support for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." ", "Making greater contributions to world peace and development".
When external military forces intervene in the Taiwan Strait, and external warships frequently approach China's coast for reconnaissance and interference, and they come from the world's only superpower, can the CCP not be vigilant?
The Chinese will never forget the history of the Eight-Power Allied Forces ravaging Beijing.
Faced with the "big change" it is in, the CCP's attitude is to "work with the international community to implement" "global development initiatives, global security initiatives."
Rather than saying that the CCP’s diplomatic methods are complicated, it is better to say that there are so many tools in its diplomatic toolbox that it is dazzling.
The CCP never believes that diplomacy is the interaction between diplomats, let alone pure international relations.
International relations are the sum total of various economic, cultural, and social exchanges. It is the mutual respect and friendly relations between countries, regardless of whether they are big or small.
Once the interests of two parties or parties collide, if the management is not good, the conflict may escalate, and no country can retreat unscathed.
The superpower power of the United States could not even conquer Afghanistan, and finally fled in embarrassment, implicating the European countries that followed, isn't it the evidence before us?
China insists on dialogue and consultation, mutual benefit and win-win results, and does not agree with any group confrontation. Only in this way can peace between countries be guaranteed, and China's security and development can be guaranteed.
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China honestly stated China's considerations in international relations. It wants to establish an international order based on the "United Nations Charter" on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.
Such an order sounds reasonable, but it is not the status quo.
The instability of the international situation today is purely due to traditional big powers insisting on an outdated international outlook, adopting military risk-taking policies and the Monroe Doctrine. This is true of NATO led by the United States, and the same is true of the United States and its regional allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
The besieged China will surely make corresponding defenses.
The military game is the bottom line, but innovative containment methods, whether in technology, trade, finance, currency, public opinion and other fields, have become a battleground, and China can only fight.
China proposes major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics and actively responds to containment, even though traditional major powers cannot do whatever they want.
The more urgent the traditional powers want to reverse the situation, the more they show that they are beyond their means.
The main theme of China's international relations is still to manage and avoid military or diplomatic conflicts, and it insists on the importance of economic, cultural and social exchanges.
The dual cycle, the Belt and Road Initiative, the huge and open domestic market, and international cooperation in the digital economy proposed by China have all been transformed into diplomatic platforms.
Traditional powers have been helpless against China's diplomacy so far, and even the politicians who promote the new Cold War can't find a point of confrontation.
Today's international situation is one in which emerging powers and developing countries continue to rise. China has long been prepared to shift its competition to the fields of science and technology, innovation, and human resources. Once the time is right, this competition will be more easily transformed into cooperation, unlike the current Russia In the Uganda conflict, both parties have suffered losses but cannot find a way to compromise.
The "Chinese-style modernization" proposed by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is the key to China's response to "the world's major changes unseen in a century."
Internationally, it means that China has a clear development direction, not power expansion, but modernization, and it is very willing to share China's development opportunities with the world.
Similarly, Chinese-style modernization is also conveying the message that China is growing stronger, indicating that no one can stop it, and there is no need to make meaningless provocations.
The modernization of national defense and the military is to "build the people's army into a world-class army." It is a "strategic requirement" for building a modern country, and of course it is the strategic support to ensure the harmonious development of China's international relations.
As long as China adheres to its diplomatic thought and policy of being good to the world, being friendly, sincere, inclusive, and being good neighbors and partners, China's diplomacy should continue to be "better than strolling in a garden regardless of wind and waves."
"Deconstructing the Top 20" series of articles:
Deconstruct the 20th National Congress.
1｜Why should we read the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and deconstruct the 20th National Congress.
2｜From the structure of the report to sort out the overall context and deconstruct the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
3｜The Sinicization and Deconstruction of the Chinese Communist Party's Ideology at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
5｜What is the new development concept and new development pattern deconstruction of the 20th Congress.
4｜Understanding how the Chinese Communist Party has been in power for a long time and deconstructed the 20th National Congress.
Six｜Comparative deconstruction of the two modernizations at the 20th Congress.
7｜Chinese-style modernization: deconstruction of spirit, society, nature, and peace at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
8｜The "big change" in China's diplomacy