Chen Jian, former ambassador to Japan and former under-secretary-general of the UN

Editor's Note:

China is rising. This advancing trend produces prosperity, confidence, and expectations, as well as anxieties, suspicions and wariness around the world. What attitude should China take while facing the growing concerns of the international community? What policies will China resort to when dealing with its relationships with different countries? Chen Jian, former ambassador to Japan and former under-secretary-general of the UN, answered these questions at the World Peace Forum 2013 in late June.

Q: Along with the US pivot to Asia, some of China's neighboring countries are moving closer to Washington, further challenging China's territorial sovereignty, for example in the South China Sea. Where are China's relationships with these countries heading in such circumstances?

Chen: First we have to observe that on land, China has settled most of its territorial disputes with its neighbors, except India. But with Delhi and Beijing having reached a consensus to resolve territorial issues on the basis of mutual understanding and accommodation, China does not have many concerns over its land borders.

It is maritime disputes that concern China the most, and the conflicts with Japan and the Philippines are the most prominent. We should not over-amplify or compound this issue with China's other neighbors.

As for the US involvement in Asia and China's countermeasures, I think China should have a comprehensive strategic confidence. It should act normally and respect other countries' strategic considerations. After weighing the situation of China growing as a rising power, they will understand that a complete dependence on the US or Japan will not be the best choice.

I believe China's relationships with some neighboring countries, even though they are confronting China in their territorial claims, will continue to develop and not be reversed. As long as their relationships with China can be basically guaranteed to be positive, China has no ground to oppose their will to develop relations with the US.

Q: There are two opposing views of China's diplomatic image. The international community says China's diplomacy is becoming aggressive, but Chinese people always criticize China's diplomatic moves as being weak and disadvantaged. How do you see such contradictory comments?

Chen: This is truly the most difficult part of modern diplomacy, and this problem exists in almost every country.

It is mainly caused by two reasons. On the one hand, the development of an information-based community has given ordinary people access to massive amounts of information. On the other, the deepening of globalization has closely interconnected the national interests of most countries. 

Few diplomatic policies can meet with approval from both the inside and outside, no matter what country you are in. Easy access to information has tremendously increased public involvement in international affairs, fueling the rise of nationalism. A tough stand to protect their own national interests is usually what they expect from their governments. But if all countries resort to such an aggressive policy, then the job of the foreign affairs ministry could be taken over by the national defense ministry.

To some extent, those expectations for "toughness" are misleading ordinary people into a wrong view of diplomacy. By its very nature, diplomacy is about "compromise." As long as the "compromise" can be made within a cooperative and reciprocal framework and thus the national interests and other countries' interests can be balanced, diplomacy will help address international issues in a peaceful way.

Q: China has been publicizing its desire for a peaceful rise for a long time, but there are still countries that are extremely wary about it. How should China deal with such concerns and suspicions?

Chen: It is true that China is speaking loudly enough to express its "peaceful rise." But as for other countries, they believe in realities rather than slogans.

The rest of the world observes China with both admiration and suspicion, because they look up to China's unprecedented success in development, but worry about the possibilities that China will become a hegemonic country, as history has proved that there are few rising powers that do not seek to expand their dominance over other countries.

All China can do is to let them wait and see. China should understand the rationality and legitimacy of their precautions, which are mainly aimed at protecting their own interests. As long as such preventive measures are not transformed into a containment of China's development, we can certainly continue to realize a peaceful rise.

Q: China takes pride in being a firm companion to developing countries. But with China's economic takeoff, is China's diplomacy becoming more interest-oriented or profit-focused? What should China do to balance its economic interests with the common good of developing countries?

Chen: Before the reform and opening-up in 1978, China's relationship with the rest of the world was purely political. Years of significant development have seen China build up a comprehensive diplomatic framework with its economic influence being expanded worldwide. China is now playing a twofold role in international affairs.

On the one hand, China is fulfilling its responsibility as a developing country to reduce poverty and realize sustainable development. On the other, China is acting as a major power, providing more public benefits for the well-being of the whole world.

Therefore, China's economic expansion is not only beneficial to itself, but also contributes to the rest of the world.