A big tree invites the wind

Chinese leaders are also aware of the complicated impact that the US' rebalancing to Asia is having on its periphery. In a sense, the US' refocusing constitutes a disturbance to China's strategy in Asia, as it is undoubtedly playing a role in impeding China's efforts to develop better ties with its neighbors.

In fact, Japan, the Philippines and some other countries have already misinterpreted the message that the US' pivot to Asia has sent. This has brought about a number of immediate and potential challenges in China's periphery.

China will not be able to make progress in tackling these challenges by keeping a low profile. Instead, it must take the initiative to create a favorable periphery.

President Xi Jinping has attached greater importance to periphery diplomacy since he took office. In October, a seminar was convened in Beijing to discuss periphery diplomacy. The focus of this meeting was to map out the strategic target, basic principles and overall plan of China's periphery diplomacy for the next five or 10 years. Specific methods and plans were also drawn up to solve the immediate problems that China's periphery diplomacy must address.

This meeting marked the beginning of Xi's new periphery diplomacy. The strategic target is to strike a balance between defending national sovereignty and maintaining regional stability. It stresses that efforts be made to improve political and economic relations with neighboring countries, and forge closer security cooperation and people-to-people contacts.

The basic principles of China's new periphery diplomacy are: qin (closeness), cheng (earnestness), hui (benefit) and rong (inclusiveness). To put it simply, closeness refers to developing closer relations through frequent high-level visits. Earnestness is showing sincerity when solving problems. Benefit refers to seeking mutual benefits through greater cooperation. Inclusiveness means that Asia and the Pacific region should be broad enough to include various parties for common development. By adhering to these principles China will maintain friendly relations with neighboring countries and together they can pursue common prosperity.

The author is director of the Department for International and Strategic Studies,China Institute of International Studies. www.chinausfocus.com

(China Daily 11/14/2013 page8)