Straight Talker Chinese Premier’s First Foreign Visits a Diplomatic Coup

RECENTLY Li Keqiang made a number of state visits for the first time in his capacity as Chinese premier. From May 19 to 27 he visited two countries in Asia（India and Pakistan） and two in Europe （Switzerland and Germany）.

Following the international diplomatic debut of President Xi Jinping the month before， Li impressed with his refreshingly frank talk and laidback mien. That host country media found Chinas top two leaders so engaging – on both a political and a personal level – indicates that the countrys newly elected top brass is already developing its own style of diplomacy.

Diplomacy with a Personal Touch

Xis foreign trips in April revealed a genial and relaxed demeanor， his frankness and his readiness to communicate. Media speculated that Xi would herald in a new era of personal diplomacy among Chinese leaders – personality and charisma would matter much more than before. Premier Lis May trip has backed up speculation， and its official： the Chinese leadership has embarked on a diplomatic charm offensive.

Thats not to say theyve planned it like that. The two men are natural-born communicators， and they each have their own style. Xi is perhaps more suave and easygoing， while Li is more passionate and expressive， both in terms of speech and body language.

Examples are easy to come by. When Indian reporters asked Li to shake hands one more time with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh – promising to put the picture on the front page of a local newspaper – Li immediately obliged. On another occasion in New Delhi， Li stood up to give a speech， first greeting his audience in Hindi. After a few minutes of speaking， his microphone started hissing. The audience went silent， but Li diffused the situation with a smile and a joke.

The charm was on again in Germany. Like Xi Jinping， Li Keqiang is a sports fan. The day he arrived in Berlin he watched a live broadcast of the European Champions League final. We think that he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel might have exchanged words on the game during their meeting the next day， as Merkel was actually at the match. A common hobby can make a great start to a dialogue.

State leaders can better interact and communicate and overcome cultural and ethnic barriers when， instead of resorting to old-fashioned rigid formalities and blank expressions， they display their true characters. Being emotive and engaging also helps to foster open， frank and lively conversations that lead to consensuses.

The relaxed manner and good sense of humor that the Chinese premier showed in his recent foreign visits indicate that Li is equipped to succeed in international diplomacy.

Getting Down to Business

There was more to Lis visits than football and jokes. He was honest about challenges in bilateral relationships and expressed Chinas concerns in a frank and forthright manner. In short， Li may be relaxed， but behind the charm is a steadfast defender of Chinas best interests.

China and India resemble each other in many ways. They both lay claim to civilizations that stretch back thousands of years. They are by far the two most populous nations on earth. And today they are the two most important – both economically and geopolitically – emerging nations in Asia.

Call it brotherly love， but Sino-Indian relations have had their ups and downs over the last halfcentury. In 1962 the two sides entered a border conflict. Lives were lost on both sides. Thankfully relations have improved remarkably since then， though there are still sticking points due mainly to ill-defined borders.

When meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh， Li stressed that any problem should be open to honest and frank discussion. The bilateral relations should move forward and follow a practical and cooperative direction， he stressed. He added that while there were clouds in the sky above India and China， they wouldnt succeed in blocking the sunshine that warms the friendship between the two sides. Bilateral ties have hit bumps in the past， but the new Chinese leaders seem keen of leaving them behind and developing stronger dialogue and cooperation with their Indian counterparts.

During his stay in India， Li reached a consensus with Singh to actively establish an economic corridor through China， India， Bangladesh and Myanmar. The measure， which should expand cooperation between China and the ASEAN in a westward direction， will further strengthen economic， trade and people-to-people relationships between China and India.

On May 24， Li， together with President of the Swiss Confederation Ueli Maurer attended a ceremony at which Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng and Schneider Oman， Swiss Federal Councilor and Minister of Economy， signed a memorandum of understanding （MOU） on concluding negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement（FTA）. The ceremony marked the success of the three-year， nine-round China-Switzerland FTA negotiations. It is the first FTA agreement between China and a European country and a positive step toward Chinas signing FTAs with other countries in the region.

Lis trip to Germany lasted only two days， but his schedule was jam-packed.

Sino-German ties have their highlights. Germany is Chinas largest trade partner in Europe， and China is the largest export destination for German products. In 2012 China became BMW Groups biggest overseas market. The sales volume of Germanmade cars especially has played an increasingly crucial role in deciding the fate of the Sino-German relationship. In general， Sino-German economic and trade relationships and industrial cooperation are becoming an important bridge for bringing China and the EU closer together.

Sino-German relations have come a long way in the last decade. Seven years ago， when Angela Merkel had just taken office as German Chancellor， she met with the Dalai Lama and criticized Chinas domestic policies on numerous occasions. She caused many misgivings and destabilized bilateral ties. Since then， however， in tandem with deepening economic and social exchanges German leaders have realized that cooperation trumps confrontation in bringing about the realization of common interests.

During Lis visit to Germany， Merkel spent between seven and eight hours with Li. They attended a welcoming ceremony and a dinner party together， held both large and intimate meetings， signed agreements， met the press and launched the “Year of Languages” program. Such extended meetings are rare in diplomatic circles.

Merkel also invited Li to a dinner party at Meseberg Palace. The two leaders went for a walk around the grounds， and the dinner party extended from the planned one hour to three hours. By all accounts， the leaders are now good friends， which should guarantee Sino-German relations an even brighter future.

Lis trip to Europe wasnt all roses， however. During his time in Germany Li took the opportunity to take the EU to task for its trade practices. Lately the EU has conducted special investigations and imposed tariff penalties on Chinese exports， especially photovoltaic （PV） products， to the bloc. Such actions have not only violated fair trade practices between China and the EU， but also indicated worrying signs of a growing protectionist movement in the region.

In a meeting with Merkel， Li rightly pointed out that Europe was “discriminating” in continuously conducting special investigations into Chinese products， especially PV exports， and that pursuing accusations of “dumping” could trigger a trade war between China and the EU.

China-EU economic and trade ties are the building blocks of the relationships between China and Germany and China and the EU as a whole. In 2012， the volume of exports from China to the 27 EU countries reached 290 billion （about US $375 billion）. The EU is Chinas largest trade partner， while China is the second largest trade partner of the EU， second only to the U.S. In 2012， the total volume of Chinas exports to non-EU countries amounted to only 144 billion. Deepening economic ties require both sides to show political resolve in rebuffing protectionist sentiment， which has the potential to bring significant harm to economic cooperation. In response to the concerns the Chinese Premier raised， Merkel promised at a joint press conference to fight trade protectionism and oppose the EUs special investigations on Chinas PV products.

On May 30， the EU Commission conducted a vote on an anti-dumping preliminary proposal against Chinese PV products. Eighteen countries voted against it， four for it and five abstained. Though the EUs final assessment on the proposal will be made in December this year， Lis visit to Germany and Merkels new stance may have turned the tide against protectionist measures such as anti-dumping. In the next six months， China and the EU should continue to concentrate their efforts on ensuring trade disputes do not escalate.

Friendship Diplomacy

The four countries Li Keqiang chose for his maiden trip abroad as Chinese Premier are all important partners of China， though they each fit very differently into the rubric of Chinas diplomatic strategy. Among the four countries， the Sino-Pakistani ties are perhaps the most intimate.

In Pakistan Li met with President Asif Ali Zardari as well as incoming PM Nawaz Sharif， leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz （PMLN）. The dual events sent a signal to the world that main-taining friendly ties with China is the shared desire of all political parties and religious groups in Pakistan. In a speech delivered at the Pakistani senate， the premier mentioned that Chinese netizens refer to Pakistan as “Iron Pak” – iron being a symbol of solid， long-lasting friendship in China.

“For more than half a century now， friendly Sino-Pakistani relations have strengthened from one generation to another， regardless of any change in the international environment or domestic politics. Ours is a brotherly friendship that has been tested by times of difficulty and forged by mutual trust. As our Pakistani friends eloquently put it， ‘We can give up gold， but not our friendship，” Li said. The 24-minute speech was interrupted by 14 rounds of applause.

The Sino-Pakistani bilateral relationship has long been based on friendship and cross-border cooperation. Ties are politically very mature， but the new Chinese leadership could admittedly do more to boost economic ties between the countries. In 2012 the bilateral trade volume was just US $12 billion， compared to the US $61 billion between China and India.

Lis visit aimed to raise Sino-Pakistani strategic cooperation to a higher level. During the visit， China and Pakistan signed a joint statement， which underlined Chinas strategic choice of westernward development， Pakistans great influence in the Islamic world and the ability of the two sides to work together in South， Central and West Asia. The strategic cooperation between China and Pakistan should be deepened and strengthened， Li said， and bilateral trade exchanges hastened to achieve balanced and coordinated political and economic ties.

China shoulders inescapable responsibility in assisting Pakistan in its economic development. In Pakistan， Premier Li promised that China would make a good use of the tax reduction negotiation in the second round of the Free Trade Agreement（FTA） negotiations between the two countries， so as to work towards a dynamic trade balance. He also said China would work with Pakistan on projects to enhance pragmatic cooperation in areas such as finance， infrastructure construction， energy and defense cooperation.

All in all， Lis first trip abroad was a resounding success. To those of us who have met the man or heard him speak， this should come as no surprise.

I first saw Mr. Li in person in 1983， when as a sophomore at Peking University I listened to a speech he gave in his then role as head of the universitys Communist Youth League. He was a fantastic speaker， and I still remember some of the advice he gave us that day. Its odd， though， to think that the man who impressed me that day with his quick wit， acerbic humor and spot-on observations about our student lives is now the No. 2 political figure in the country. I wish him the best of luck.