The Central Pillars of China’s Diplomacy

This year, China’s diplomacy was highlighted at three major diplomatic events in April and May – The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Conference of Dialogues on Asian Civilizations, and the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 Beijing. Then followed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s busy diplomatic month of June, which saw his four overseas trips: From June 5 to 7, Xi first paid a state visit to Russia and attended the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) held in St. Petersburg; June 12-16 saw him in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan attending the 19th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek and the fifth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe; from June 20 to 21 he headed to the DPRK for a state visit; and a week later, he flew to Osaka, Japan, for the 14th G20 Summit. In recent years, with its increasing national strength, China has proactively taken on international responsibilities as a major nation, contributing to issues of global concern. However, responding to China’s rise in the international arena, some people in the West have expressed doubt about China’s development and strategic intentions. This is illustrated by the China threat theory, claims about the collapse of China, belief about the inevitable confrontation between China and the U.S., […]