President Xi Jinping's November visits to Australia, New Zealand
and Fiji and Premier Li Keqiang's one-week tour across Kazakhstan,
Serbia and Thailand in December rounded off China's diplomatic
activities for the year. During 2014, Chinese leaders made numerous
visits abroad and interacted with their counterparts from a number
of foreign countries, be they other developing nations, neighbors
or world powers. The leadership has also drawn up a blueprint for
global relations and redefined the country's diplomatic work.
In 2014, China established partnerships with 67 countries and
five regional organizations while maintaining its non-partisan
status. It also made headway with the internationally acclaimed
Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road
Initiatives, and the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund will bolster financial
support for the construction of these two trade passages.
Notably, China's hosting of the Summit of the Conference on
Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and the APEC
Economic Leaders' Meeting intimated that the country has assumed a
new international role. China proposed to build an Asian security
concept based on common security concerns and a forward-looking
Asia-Pacific partnership during the meetings. Along with its
partners, it came up with the vision of a Free Trade Area of the
Asia-Pacific and outlined steps for its realization. All of the
above demonstrates the systemic part China now plays in
safeguarding regional stability and promoting cooperative
development in the Asia-Pacific. The two gatherings testified to
the nation's ongoing transformation to a global trendsetter.
Xi and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to advance a new type
of major-country relationship through facilitating cooperation and
shelving differences during Obama's trip to China. China and Japan
reached consensus on improving bilateral relations marred by
historical and territorial disputes. In addition, China has posited
a well-received "dual-track" approach to settling maritime rows in
the South China Sea, stipulating that disputes be resolved through
negotiations between affected countries.
Furthermore, China has maintained sound relations with Russia
and the EU. It has adopted a reasonable attitude toward a series of
hot-button issues including Iran's nuclear program, Korean
Peninsula stability, the Ukrainian crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, antiterrorism and the Ebola outbreak and stepped up to
the plate in terms of maintaining international and regional
peace.
Against this backdrop, the Central Conference on Work Relating
to Foreign Affairs, held in late November, set out the goals of
establishing a new paradigm for mutually beneficial international
relations, promoting the Chinese dream internationally and working
for the good of the Chinese people and people worldwide. In short,
China's diplomacy has opened a new chapter in its storied
history.
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