North Korea developing nuclear weapons against China's interests has caused some concern at home that China lacks "true friends" worldwide.

Chinese society has recently been bothered by the sense of being isolated or betrayed. However, in the sphere of international relations, we shouldn't expect to make "friends" with the same expectations as in daily life.

The concept of "friends" in international relations is different. Interests outweigh emotions in relationships between countries and the tag of "friends" and "enemies" can easily shift.

Most country-to-country ties are neither categorized as friend or foe. Seeking common interests to promote good relations is often a wise choice.

But once the core interests of nations contradict each other, bilateral relations will cool down or even become hostile. This of course should be avoided wherever possible.

The US doesn't have as many true friends as it seems. Being the sole superpower in the world, the US has built an alliance network throughout the world. This is because of its superior global status.

However, the strong power of one country, which includes both hard and soft power, has two sides. The US also has the most "enemies" among larger countries. The US has waged wars around the world. Washington has also paid a price for its global leadership.   

China as a rising power is incomparable to the US in terms of comprehensive national strength. China's rising status brings many uncertainties to itself and the world. It's natural that China's growth will be held back by the West. Under such conditions, other countries will be reluctant to develop an "allied relationship" with China as it cannot now afford to provide a security umbrella to these countries.  

Some hold that China once made "true friends" in the 1960s and 1970s when it was poorer. However, the relationships of that time were also based on national interests. It was not only expensive for China to maintain those special relations but also strengthened antagonism to China in some quarters. 

We don't need to admire the US' ability at making allies. There is still a big gap between China and the US in national strength and the US way of defining countries as friends or foes is also proving to be challenging.

A realistic choice for China is to develop good relations with as many countries as possible. This is the only way to make China's rise a process that can benefit all countries, especially its neighbors.

China's diplomatic strategy generally fits the requirement of peaceful development. Though conflicts with neighboring countries are on the rise, so are the tools with which to handle such issues multiplying. Compared with the diplomatic crises seen in the last century, China's diplomatic environment today is relaxing.

Whether a country is a foe or a friend to us should be based on reality, not on assumptions. An opponent on any given specific issue does not necessarily mean it is an enemy.