Innovations in diplomatic theory, practice

Since the successful conclusion of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China last year and the end of the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference earlier this year, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary has, in light of new conditions and new tasks, focused on China's long-term and strategic agenda with a keen appreciation of the evolving global environment and trends of development at home. Bearing in mind both the domestic and international interests of the country and maintaining the continuity and consistency of its major diplomatic policies, it has promoted innovations in diplomatic theory and practice by keeping up with the trend of the times and pushing ahead with a pioneering spirit. With a good beginning made and an overall plan adopted, the Party Central Committee has put forth many important strategic ideas on China's external affairs as well as diplomatic policies and principles, and taken a number of major diplomatic initiatives which have not only created external conditions favorable for facilitating the work of the Party and the State across the board, but also enriched and developed the system of diplomatic theory with Chinese characteristics.

I. The new diplomatic initiatives taken are strategic, overarching and innovative in nature.

Given close international attention on major policy direction of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary, Comrade Xi Jinping made his diplomatic debut by meeting the representatives of foreign experts working in China. Later, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a collective study session on unswervingly following the path of peaceful development. On both occasions, Comrade Xi Jinping made important remarks on China's opening-up strategy and foreign policy, sending out a clear message that China's new collective central leadership is committed to reform and opening-up, the path of peaceful development and the strategy of win-win cooperation with the outside world while resolutely upholding China's core national interests.

Since the end of the annual NPC and CPPCC sessions this year, Comrade Xi Jinping and other Party and State leaders have paid visits to major countries, neighboring countries, emerging market economies and developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and North America, and hosted visits by dozens of foreign leaders. These activities of bilateral and multilateral diplomacy both at home and abroad have enabled Chinese leaders to meet more than one hundred foreign heads of state and leaders, which has effectively enhanced China's friendly exchanges and pragmatic cooperation with other countries.

Promoting relations with the major countries. Comrade Xi Jinping made Russia the first leg of his first overseas visit as China's President, which strengthened bilateral cooperation in the economy, trade, energy and strategic security and consolidated the basis of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. Comrade Xi Jinping held meetings with US President Barack Obama at the Annenberg Estate in Los Angeles, during which the two sides agreed to work together to build a new model of major-country relationship based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation, thus charting the course and drawing the blueprint for growing China-US relations in the future. Both also successfully held their fifth round of Strategic and Economic Dialogues, making good progress in implementing the agreement of the two presidents and advancing the building of a new model of major-country relationship. With other Chinese Party and state leaders visiting European countries, China has played host to French President Francois Hollande and other European leaders, and worked steadily to open up new areas of mutually-beneficial and pragmatic cooperation between China and Europe.