Warm Chinese Diplomacy in Cold Winter

By+HUA+YIWEN

W INTER was once the low season for Chinas diplomatic activities – its a different story now. The first week of December 2013 witnessed visits to the country by British Prime Minister David Cameron， French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault， and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Just two months earlier， the regular meeting of China-EU leaders， the meeting of Chinese and Central and Eastern European leaders， and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization prime ministers meeting were held in China， Romania and Uzbekistan respectively.

The events of December signified a new round of diplomatic activities following the Chinese leaders southeast Asian tour， the 21st APEC Economic Leaders Meeting and the Eighth East Asia Summit， as well as the visits to China by the Russian， Indian and Mongolian prime ministers， all in October.

Extending cooperation with China was the main theme of these high-level visits to China. Cameron welcomed China to further invest in British infrastructure， and also hoped his country would take full advantage of its leadership in international finance and benefit from the internationalization of Chinas RMB.

Ayrault said he looked forward to China and France cooperating more on new emerging industries， such as those related to ecology， sustainable development， energy conservation， environmental protection， health and modern agriculture， building on previous cooperation in high-speed rail， nuclear energy and space.

Bidens visit to China offered no detailed scope for cooperation， but during his visit both sides released the Joint Fact Sheet on Strengthening U.S.-China Economic Relations， outlining the next stage of bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

In a show of public diplomacy， these leaders intended to convey a positive attitude toward China and a connection with the Chinese people. Cameron marveled at Chinas progress in high-speed rail， enjoyed hotpot， played ping-pong and opened a Weibo （microblog） account， trying his best to display his personal charm， while Ayrault visited the Palace Museum， the Confucian Temple and the Imperial College in Beijing， enjoying traditional Chinese culture. Biden stuck with his people-friendly approach， as he had done two years earlier， by taking his grandson to visit the Imperial College and local teahouses.

These countries have built up a good foundation for their relations with China， though some divergences still exist. High-level exchange and dialogue are needed for pragmatic cooperation in consideration of the overall situation. Cameron made an effort to overcome the impacted relations with China on the Dalai Lama issue， and claimed Britain to be Chinas most supportive partner in the West. Biden reiterated that relations between China and the U.S. have been most vital in the 21st century， but showed a great deal of prudence regarding the setting up of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone in an attempt to avoid any unnecessary dispute arising. Ayrault claimed he would work with Frances President to remove obstructions in the progress of FrancoChinese relations.

The warm diplomatic season in China this winter resulted from mutual needs. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee also had a positive influence on this winters diplomacy； one aim of Bidens visit was to better understand Chinas latest reforms.

We need to remain passionate yet composed through this “thawing-out”winter. International relations must benefit the country， and foreign affairs must be understood as an extension of domestic affairs. We must take heed of the complexities of the strategies pursued by other countries in dealing with China； Biden inexplicitly criticized Chinas human rights and civil freedom situation， while Cameron was regarded by some British media as “eating humble pie” in China. But on the Chinese side， diplomacy remains warm and friendly， proving that its development is bringing opportunities to the world； and the world is also gaining confidence in China. A new round of reforms would certainly usher in a new spring for Chinese diplomacy.