By Dingding Chen
Despite some challenges, 2014 was a very good year for China’s diplomacy; 2015 will be more or less the same.
There is little doubt that the year 2014 has been a very good year for Chinese diplomacy. As Xie Tao pointed out, it is a year of “big strokes,” as evidenced by China’s economic gains in particular. Beyond this, I have compiled a list of the top 5 achievements of Chinese diplomacy in 2014 (and some of them will continue into 2015, thus deserving more attention from the world. )
First, China’s new grand strategy has finally emerged. For several years there has been a fierce debate within China about whether China should adopt a new grand strategy. The debate is over now, as Xi Jinping recently put forward a new strategy of “great rejuvenation,” as opposed to old one of “keeping a low profile.” The implications of this new grand strategy should not be underestimated since it will guide China’s diplomacy for the next 20 years, if not longer. If nothing else, one thing about this new grand strategy that should be clear to the international community is that China will be more confident and more active in its diplomacy. In other words, the international community must find a way to deal with such a China; we might call this development the “new normal” in Chinese foreign policy.
Read the full story at The Diplomat