China's diplomacy more cogent in 2017

The year 2017 saw China playing a more effective role in global governance, as it continued making efforts to maintain peace and strengthen communication among countries. At a time when regional conflicts, slow economic development and erratic diplomacy have aggravated global uncertainties, China remains committed to promoting cooperation for the betterment of the world.

China has gone to great lengths to help maintain regional peace and cooperation. Sticking to the principle of peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit, China has strengthened its ties with Russia, the European Union and the United States. For instance, during US President Donald Trump's state visit to China in November, the two countries "shelved" their disputes and agreed to deepen win-win cooperation in more areas of mutual benefit. On regional issues, China promoted multilateral talks to help resolve the Korean Peninsula, Syria, Afghanistan and Middle East issues.

Since China is committed to helping build a community of shared future in its neighborhood, soon after the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October, President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, paid state visits to Vietnam and Laos to promote regional development. Such diplomatic efforts have helped China to improve its ties with the other neighbors, too, including the Republic of Korea, Japan and India.

Besides, as a responsible power, China has strove to advance communication and development, in order to promote globalization and improve global governance. And its Belt and Road Initiative is the highlight of its contributions to the world.

Since Xi proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, China has signed, as part of the initiative, cooperation agreements with 80 countries and organizations, carried out industrial cooperation with more than 30 countries, and helped build 75 economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries. Chinese companies' investments in the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative have crossed $50 billion and created about 180,000 jobs.

Representatives from 130 countries, including 29 heads of state or government, and scores of international organizations participated in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing in May, where more than 270 projects aimed at strengthening the international cooperation network were finalized.

China has shared its development experiences with the rest of the world and offered "Chinese solutions" to global problems to help the international community boost global economic growth. Also, the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation is directly connected with the development of the world.
Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Xi called for innovative patterns of development, open cooperation and fairer global governance. And in Geneva, he put forward the concept of a community of shared future for humankind, drawing worldwide praise.

In September, the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, not only lifted the level of economic, security, cultural and communication cooperation, but also proposed a "BRICS-Plus" mode of communication between developing countries and emerging markets to enhance cooperation among Asian, Middle East, African and Latin American countries. As such, the BRICS Summit has become a new platform for South-South cooperation.
And from Nov 30 to Dec 3, Beijing hosted the first CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, a historic event where the CPC and political parties from across the world shared their experiences. Addressing the opening session of the meeting, Xi said the CPC will work to improve the life and livelihood of the Chinese people and realize the Chinese Dream, as well as to build a community of shared future for humankind.

It is thus clear China has been shouldering more responsibilities in global governance. And while its development initiatives are yielding fruits, its efforts to maintain regional and global peace have helped safeguard its sovereignty and national interests.

The author is Jean Monnet chair professor at Renmin University of China.