Source: Global Times    Published: 2018-6-24

China has enshrined Xi Jinping`s thought on diplomacy as the supreme guidance to the country`s foreign affairs at a key conference, which also urged the country to take an active part in leading the reform of the global governance system.

In an address at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs held in Beijing on Friday and Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), underscored the importance of keeping in mind both internal and international imperatives, focusing on realizing China`s national rejuvenation, promoting human progress, and making contributions to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

"We should thoroughly implement the thought on diplomacy of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, continuously facilitate a favorable external environment for realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity," said Xi.

He highlighted major aspects of the thought, which include forging ahead with the Belt and Road construction in the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration and lead the reform of the global governance system with the concept of fairness and justice.

"Many solutions China has proposed to global issues have proven to be of great help in recent years, and thanks to those useful solutions, the global system is witnessing a positive reform toward fairness and justice," Wang Wen, executive dean with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.

China`s development pattern has offered developing countries a fine example, China`s economy has contributed to one third of global growth, and China`s proposals in solving matters such as North Korea`s nuclear issue have been adopted by the world, according to Wang.

"The global governance system has reached a balance between the West and the rest with China`s contribution," Wang said.

China`s proposals have also guaranteed international order in global free trade and UN system-based political agreements, both of which have turned chaotic due to the US government`s radical polices, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

But it`s not enough for China to just participate in the global governance system, rather China is expected to lead the reform of the system to help change the current closed and unfair system, experts said.

China`s proposal of building a community for the shared future of mankind is the Ideal outcome of reform on the global governance system, and the Belt and Road initiative and global partnership is a step in this direction, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.

The thought also stresses to uphold the authority of the CPC Central Committee as the overarching principle and strengthen the centralized, unified leadership of the Party on external work.

Wang Yiwei said that China stressed the leading role of the CPC at all levels, and it`s significant for the CPC to lead China`s diplomacy and coordinate and promote China`s foreign policies.

"The CPC`s leading role helps China better deal with the US government in trade war, and promote the Belt and Road initiative," Wang Yiwei said.

Xi Jinping thought on diplomacy

While delivering concluding remarks at the conference, Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said that the most important outcome of this conference is that it established the guiding position of Xi Jinping thought on diplomacy.

It is a major theoretical achievement in the thoughts on state governance in the area of diplomacy by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and a fundamental guideline for China`s external work in the new era, Yang said.

Wang Wen said that Xi Jinping thought on diplomacy is the epitome of China`s foreign policies in the past five years, and is also an answer to current chaotic diplomatic thought with hesitation and lack of confidence.

Wang Wen is the executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.

Wang Yiwei is senior fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China.