No Strings Attached in China’s Neighborhood Diplomacy

When President Xi Jinping talked of the Silk Road economic belt and maritime Silk Road strategies, he repeatedly emphasized the need to uphold the diplomatic concepts of “closeness, integrity, benefit and tolerance” with China’s neighbors. Those words are a succinct delineation of China’s diplomatic values.

Throughout world history, there have existed several different modes of international relations centered around Europe, imperial China, or the United States, entities that also espoused entirely separate value systems. During the 17th century, civil war within the Holy Roman Empire developed into the pan-European Thirty Years’ War, finally ending with the Peace of Westphalia. Europe cast off the interstate relations of the Middle Ages and entered an era of modern international relations that holds national sovereignty sacred over all else, as well as a peaceful resolution to disputes. The European states also reached a consensus on values, agreeing that no nation should ever again force its religious beliefs upon another and that balance in diplomacy should reign.

For ancient China, traditional relations with neighboring states took the form of the tributary system, which eventually metamorphosed into a mutually beneficial relationship between suzerain and vassal based upon a moral foundation. From a cultural standpoint, China did not overcome vassal states with military might, but rather through a persuasive Chinese way of life based upon Confucian society. From an economic perspective, mutually beneficial trade exchanges were common. And as to politics, what China cared for most was the prestige of the Chinese empire and evidence to satisfy the theory of Chinese centralism, while political and security needs were secondary considerations. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the tributary system did not constitute a substantive lord-vassal relationship. For example, the Ming and Qing dynasties, which operated upon the system for centuries, were the most insular and conservative periods in Chinese history in terms of foreign relations. What China more often pursued was a policy of political noninterference.

Ethically, the United States considers itself “the city upon the hill,” seated on the moral high ground, the chosen people of God. According to the U.S. Wilson doctrine that in turn is based upon this “city upon the hill” understanding of the world, good and evil are placed on different strata, with good above, evil below and the good tolerant of the evil. As God’s chosen, the United States must do its part to forward universal values and establish a global system based upon these values. This makes it quite evident that the United States’ inflated sense of self-importance in diplomatic ethics must surpass that of any other nation in history. Henry Kissinger once disparaged this “Wilson-ism” as being naive and a contributing factor to the loneliness of the United States. Moreover, the United States has tied this advocacy of universal values closely together with its economic and military might, and has thus taken on a distinctly hegemonic air.

China’s diplomatic values of “closeness, integrity, benefit and tolerance” have their roots in the essence of Chinese civilization, and now hold even stronger implications within the context of modern international relations. “Closeness” encapsulates the natural ties arising from geographic proximity and cultural intimacy between China and its neighbors. “Integrity” speaks to China’s honest countenance in managing relations with those neighbors. “Benefit” has certain connotations in modern diplomacy, and points to establishing a network for mutual benefit, combining the interests of two sides into a greater whole. “Tolerance” refers to the call for tolerance and respect.

These values differ from the tributary paradigm of ancient times and the U.S. Wilson doctrine in that they seek to establish equality within international relations rather than the lord-vassal relationship of the tributary system or a unipolar hegemony founded upon a sense of moral superiority by divine design. The values are not only imbued within the “one belt, one road” strategy, but are manifested within the emergent Chinese diplomatic strategy through its relations with neighboring states, as well as being a clear statement of the yardstick of values that China will utilize in managing those relations. They also signify China’s participation in global governance, embody its unique character and style within international relations and, as the U.S.-led world order reels from crisis and the international system is pieced back together, will help get China’s message across to every corner of the globe.

The author is a professor at Renmin University’s School of Economics.