A Stabilizing Force in International Order

On October 31, 2019, the fourth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) voted and approved the "Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Some Major Issues Concerning How to Uphold and Improve the System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Advance the Modernization of China's System and Capacity for Governance" (hereinafter referred to as the Decision).
The Decision gives a clear answer to the major political question of "what should China uphold and consolidate, improve and develop?" In terms of China's foreign policy, the Decision made it clear that we should unswervingly safeguard world peace and promote common development. On the whole, a rapidly developing China is the main variable in the world today. On the other hand, a rapidly changing China is the most important stabilizing force in the international order, which is presently undergoing major development, major transformation, and major adjustments.
A Staunch Defender of World Peace, Security, and Stability
The Decision states, "China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development and develop friendly relations with all countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence." China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion and will always be a staunch force safeguarding world peace."
In the face of the unprecedented great changes impacting the international order, especially the challenges to world peace and stability caused by unilateralism, protectionism, hegemonism, and power politics, China, in the new era, firmly maintains the international order with the United Nations as its core and has become a staunch defender, active contributor, and constructive reformer of the current international order. In general, China's efforts have been made in the following areas:
First, China has firmly upheld the main theme of the times of peace and development, and steers the international community in the fundamental direction of development. In the face of the rising trend of unilateralism and protectionism in the international community during recent years, China stands firmly with the majority of countries in the world, and upholds the core position of the UN in the current international order, world peace, and security affairs. China pursues peace and development for the world, actively promotes global partnerships, firmly pushes forward democracy in international relations, and supports the movement toward a multi-polar world, demonstrating its strong strategic focus.
Second, China has taken concrete actions to provide the world with more international public goods. Firstly, China, in the new era, has unveiled a series of major ideas, such as building a new type of international relations, a community with a shared future for mankind, joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, a more balanced approach to upholding principles and pursuing interests, new visions of security, global governance, development, and civilization. These Chinese proposals and initiatives that demonstrate Chinese wisdom have become major theoretical contributions to humanity.
Secondly, in the new era, China has taken a more active part in safeguarding world peace and development, injecting positive energy into human society with concrete actions. China has become the second largest UN peacekeeping budget contributor, as well as the largest troop contributor among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. China has also actively joined the UN Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System, taking the lead in setting up a peacekeeping police squad and building a 8,000-person peacekeeping stand-by force. China is playing an increasingly important and constructive role in resolving major international and regional hotspot issues such as the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, the Middle East challenges, and the Ukraine crisis.
Third, China is playing an active role in leading the reform and development of the global governance system, to make the current international system more just, equitable, reasonable, and sustainable. As a responsible country, China advocates that people from all countries should consult with each other, adhere to the principles of "extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits," and promote the reform of the global governance system, in response to the changes in the international landscape, so as to better embody the common pursuit and aspirations of the entire international community in a more comprehensive, inclusive, and balanced way.
China actively supports the reforms of the UN and its Security Council, and urges major international organizations and mechanisms, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank, through reforms, to better adapt to new demands for global governance. This fully reflects the development interests and policy space of emerging and developing countries.
A Firm Supporter of Economic Globalization and Multilateralism
The Decision points out that, "China will promote the construction of an open system of win-win cooperation, embrace opening-up and cooperation for mutual benefit, promote high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Roads Initiative projects, safeguard and improve the multilateral trading system, and promote the resolution of uneven global development and the digital divide, and the building of an open world economy."
In recent years, the world economy has faced multiple risks and challenges, such as insufficient growth momentum and increasing unevenness. Upholding the principle of openness, cooperation, development, and mutual benefit, China has become the most important supporter of the multilateral trading system and an open world economy.
China has maintained medium-high-speed growth in the new era. A healthy Chinese economy is not only the main stabilizing force and driver for global growth, it can also provide stronger support to the multilateral trading system with the WTO as the core, and help build a more open world economy. As the biggest developing country and most important emerging economy, China deeply understands the aspirations of developing countries to realize national development and national rejuvenation, and stands with other emerging and developing countries as a partner, as well as representative and defender of the multilateral trading and global economic systems.
Against the backdrop of resurgence of unilateralism and protectionism, China's role in upholding the multilateral trading system and building an open world economy has become increasingly prominent, as the driving force of global progress. China has made great contributions to safeguarding the legitimate rights, interests, and development space of emerging countries, mainly in the following areas:
First, China has provided successful lessons for other developing countries through its own development. China and the majority of developing countries share similar experiences of national independent development and prosperity. Since the beginning of the new era, China has embarked on a development path suited to its national conditions in order to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. This has injected confidence into other developing countries to explore development models suited to their own conditions and provided useful experience for reference.
Second, China welcomes other developing countries to get on board the fast train of its development. In the new era, it has offered more and better public goods to the international community, developing countries in particular, through the Belt and Road Initiative. Its continuous efforts to improve opening-up to the outside world, through mechanisms such as the China International Import Expo, have helped other developing countries enter the Chinese market and share development opportunities with China.
Third, China will continue to firmly represent developing countries in the international arena. Under the framework of global organizations such as the UN, G20, the global climate change negotiations, WTO, World Bank, and the IMF, it will continue to help consolidate the unity among developing countries. In addition, China will firmly back the implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and protect the rights and interests of developing countries and their development space by constantly making coordination, and promoting the BRICS group and other cooperation mechanisms for emerging economies.
An Earnest Adherent of International Conventions and Rules
The Decision states, "China will take an active part in the reform and development of the global governance system, promote international cooperation on climate change based on the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities, equity, and respective capabilities… and maintain the UN's core position on global governance."
On September 27, 2019, a white paper titled "China and the World in the New Era" published by the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China states, "International conventions such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Convention on Nuclear Safety, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and other international treaties and agreements are based on the consensus of all parties and in accordance with the interests of all countries. All signatories have the obligation to fulfill their commitments in full rather than selectively."
In upholding international conventions, China has shown a high sense of responsibility and dedication. It has not only signed international conventions on its own initiative and firmly upheld and actively promoted them, but also, in addition to fulfilling the responsibilities stipulated in the treaties, has taken the initiative to make its own demands with a higher standard, demonstrating the dedication of a responsible major country.
China's adherence to these important conventions has effectively restrained the irresponsible domestic and foreign policies of some superpowers, and has transcended and broken through the influence of extremely heavy realism and pragmatism in international politics. As a fast-growing emerging country, China has adopted a clear position of support for important international conventions that constitute and underpin the current international system and international order, rather than overthrowing it, starting a new one, or building a parallel system for full-on confrontation. As the world undergoes changes unseen in a century, China has provided the strongest guarantee for maintaining world peace and development and for building a community with a shared future for mankind.
From the exposition of China's foreign policy at the fourth plenary session, we can clearly see that China has always placed its own development in the coordinated system of human development at large. While the Chinese people have created a miracle in 70 years, China will interact more positively with the rest of the world to improve the planet in the new era.