Source: China Daily    Published: 2023-04-13

Beijing steps up its international exchanges as it seeks to build wide 'circle of friends'

While Beijing's diplomacy is blossoming this spring through hosting a number of visiting foreign leaders and making breakthroughs in mediating thorny issues, China is not "flexing its geopolitical muscles", and is not interested in ideological confrontation with other major countries, analysts said.

The nation's booming exchanges, as led by President Xi Jinping, are a natural and timely response to the need of both the country and the rest of the world for economic revitalization and to tackle peace deficits in the post-pandemic era, they added.

Following the traditional Chinese Spring Festival, the world has seen a flurry of foreign leaders visiting China and meeting with President Xi, including from Belarus, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, France and the European Union.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday, kicking off his state visit to China through Saturday.

Outcomes of these productive leaders' meetings include a joint statement by Beijing and Singapore to further upgrade their partnership, as well as a joint statement with Paris on expanding bilateral collaboration in various sectors and on global affairs.

Beijing's efforts in mediation and brokering peace also made headlines by hosting a landmark dialogue in March between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had severed their ties seven years ago.

While the French and EU leaders were visiting China last week, Beijing brought together the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday, and the two countries announced the resumption of their diplomatic ties.

Ishaan Tharoor, a foreign affairs columnist with The Washington Post, wrote in an article that last week "was a bumper week for diplomacy in Beijing".

Many media outlets and policy researchers have also been impressed by Beijing's great hospitality for the visiting leaders, including an informal meeting between Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The two heads of state strolled through the Pine Garden on Friday afternoon, chatting and stopping at times to enjoy the unique beauty of the southern Chinese garden.

The New York Times said it was "an exchange of remarkable intimacy" as the two leaders were "tieless, sharing pleasantries".

"Macron staked out an independent European position, and both leaders repeatedly lauded a 'multipolar world'," it commented.

Liu Qing, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said the recent Chinese diplomacy could be described as "flowers blossoming in the spring", and it has been the country's foreign affairs tradition to roll out the red carpet for visiting leaders and send delegations abroad following the Lunar New Year.

"This year Beijing has invited and greeted leaders from a number of countries, including from Southeast Asia and Europe. Some are developed countries and some are developing countries. In so doing, this manifests the gesture of building a wide-ranging, inclusive 'circle of friends'," he said.

By facilitating the major reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Beijing further proved its power and prowess in advancing peace, officials and experts said.

In a meeting with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Tuesday, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, the United Nations' undersecretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, appreciated the important contribution China has made to advancing international peace and security and thanked China for its strong support of the UN.

Li Shaoxian, director of Ningxia University's China-Arab Research Institute, said one of the major factors behind the decision by Saudi Arabia and Iran to meet in Beijing twice since last month is "Beijing's consistency in upholding just, objective views and having no selfish interests when getting along with Middle East countries".

"They chose China also for the country's influence and great sense of duty as a major country," he added.

Beijing's fast pace in resuming its political, economic and cultural exchanges with the rest of the world has taken place as it has geared up its economic recovery since the first quarter of this year, observers noted.

World Bank Group President David Malpass said on Monday that due to the improved outlook for China's recovery, the World Bank has revised upward China's growth prospects for this year, from 4.3 percent to 5.1 percent, while the latest OECD report raised China's economic growth outlook to 5.3 percent.

In particular, the great speed of China and the EU in resuming and reinforcing political and economic links has stood out and impressed observers.

Coupled with Macron's visit, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus signed an agreement with China Aviation Supplies Holding and landed orders for 160 new aircraft, including 150 A320-family aircraft and 10 A350-900 widebody aircraft.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, visited Beijing last week and told Xi that the EU totally disapproves of decoupling and severing supply chains, and it looks to strengthen exchanges and dialogue with China, restart the three China-EU dialogue mechanisms at an early date and carry out more mutually beneficial cooperation.

On Wednesday, Josep Borrell, high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission, said on social media that he tested positive for COVID-19 and would need to postpone his visit to China, which had been scheduled from Thursday to Saturday.

During the same three days, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will make an official visit to China, the Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement.

China and the EU have seen a high frequency of high-level exchanges recently, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday, urging the two sides to "step up strategic communication and coordination" and "join hands in tackling global challenges".

Wang Wen, executive dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, said that China is offering greater certainty to a world beset with various challenges.

"The Chinese population of over 1.4 billion people and their demand for a better life constitute one of the major consumer markets in the world," he said.

"China remains one of the largest players subscribing to inclusiveness, openness and collaboration.… Such an inclusive approach offers enormous certainty in terms of the future well-being of the world and mankind," he added.