Chinese foreign policy focuses on economic uplift: Professor Canrong

Professor and Associate Dean at the School of International Studies, Renmin University, Beijing, Jin Canrong has said that China's foreign policy focuses on pursuing economic development and commanding the manufacturing industry. Prof Canrong stated this while addressing at a public talk on "China's Foreign Policy After the 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) and its International Relations in the 21st Century" on Tuesday.
Speaking about China's foreign policy and strategy, Professor Canrong said that the secret behind the rise of the West is that western countries command the manufacturing industry. Presently, China has the largest manufacturing industry in the world and it surpassed the United States in 2010. The role of China's great revolution is significant as the social structure in the country has changed and the society is more egalitarian, which is also a requirement of a machine-based society, he noted.
He went on to explain how any new country experiences three stages: survival, development and dignity. For China the Mao Zedong Era was vying for the survival of New China (PRC), and the Deng Xiaoping Era was focused on pursuing economic development. Currently, the Xi Jinping Era is seeking dignity by shaping a major power strategy with Chinese characteristics and embracing a new identity from a regional power to a world power. China's foreign policy framework has always encompassed big powers, its neighborhood, the developing world and international organizations.
He said that since President Xi Jinping came into power, China has become more active globally and is trying to establish a mechanism for cooperation by increasing spending on aid development, poverty relief and climate change.
He said that while the US wants hierarchy, China wants equality. He said that China's way of global governance is UN-centered and it puts development first. As a result, it seeks equal partnership and has a staunch principle of non-intervention, he said.
Prof Canrong said, "The most important thing for any country is to modernize itself and hence command its own destiny"
You Yi, the Cultural Counselor at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, and Lijian Zhao, Chinese Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, were also present on the occasion.
In his welcome remarks, Chairman Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) former Ambassador Khalid Mahmood spoke about how China's continuous rise and simultaneous national rejuvenation focuses on the need to maintain an open global economy that allows China to maintain its economic development. He said that the new theme advocated by the party Congress calls for a stronger commitment to safeguarding China's sovereignty. He said that at the same time it stresses on greater power diplomacy with Chinese characteristics and demands for new greater power relations based on mutual respect where each power recognizes the core national interest of the other power.
He said that Beijing is already following these principles through initiatives, particularly in its neighborhood. Mahmood further noted that in an era of Trump-led disruptions, China's policies are in sharp contrast to the US' protectionist and interventionist strategies. China is behaving as a responsible actor favours communication over confrontation and focuses on the establishment of a community of shared destiny for all of humanity.
Director General ISSI, former Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, in his concluding remarks, appreciated China's policy of major power diplomacy. He was of the view that the Chinese have reaffirmed belief in the UN charter principles. In sharp contrast to the US policymakers, China wants to advocate greater power diplomacy, an open economy and globalization as opposed to protectionist policies. He also said that unless one has the requisite power, any confrontational threats ring hollow and thus before embarking on tough talks, one should put one's house in order-which is what China has done.