Keywords to Understand China

“A new model of international relations”

on September 28， 2015， Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke for the first time at the United Nations Headquarters. He elaborated to an international audience his concept of building a new model of international relations based on cooperation for the benefit of all.

He said： “We should renew our commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations， build a new model of international relations based on cooperation for the benefit of all， and create a community of shared future for mankind.” He called on the international community to build partnerships based on equality， consultation and mutual understanding， to create a security architecture that is fair， just， and shared by all， to pursue open， innovative and inclusive development that benefits all， to increase inter-civilizational exchanges that promote harmony in diversity and are mutually enriching， and to encourage ecological conservation and protection， putting Mother Nature and green development first.

Building a new model of international relations is Chinas answer to tackling the key issues crucial to the future of humankind， such as peace and development. A focus on cooperation in search of win-win solutions embodies Chinas commitment to world peace， development， fairness， justice， democracy， and freedom - values cherished by humanity and informing the lofty mission of the United Nations.

“The greater good and self-interest”

ChInA views the relationship between the greater good and self-interest as an essential aspect of international relations. At the political level all countries should abide by international law and the basic norms governing international relations， and uphold the principles of fairness， justice， and equality among nations. At the economic level they should seek a course of action that brings mutual benefits and leads to win-win solutions with a focus on an overall picture and long-term considerations.

The pursuit of the greater good remains， as President Xi Jinping once said， embedded in our values. It is not acceptable that the divide between the haves and havenots perpetuates itself. True happiness should be shared and enjoyed by all. China hopes that all countries in the world， especially developing countries， would benefit from development efforts. The pursuit of self-interest should， on the other hand， be aligned with the need to search for mutual benefit， rather than being turned into a zero-sum game. China has the obligation to provide assistance to poor countries within the limits of its own resources. It is sometimes necessary to work for the greater good at the expense of self-interest and fulfill this obligation despite an unfavorable calculus in financial terms. A healthy approach to the relationship between the greater good and selfinterest is grounded in Chinas tradition of diplomacy， and embodies the values we cherish.

“China （Shanghai） Pilot Free Trade Zone”

The launch of the China （Shanghai） Pilot Free Trade Zone at Waigaoqiao， Pudong， Shanghai， on September 29， 2013， was a major reform move in response to Chinas new realities. It was aimed at exploring new possibilities for expanding the scope of reform and opening China wider to the outside world， and promoting coordinated development for all regions.

Within a two- to three-year window， the pilot program was， in broad terms， expected to expedite the transformation of government functions， push for the opening of the service sector and foreign investment regulatory reform， encourage the development of a headquarters economy and new types of trade， and speed up RMB capital account convertibility and the opening up of financial services. Its objectives also included developing a mechanism for tariff classification of merchandise， building a support framework that encourages investment and innovation， and fostering a business environment in which international norms and the rule of law are respected. The program sought to create a world-class free trade zone with convenience for investment and trade， full convertibility of currencies， an efficient regulatory mechanism， and an effective legal environment. It could provide fresh ideas for further reform and opening up.

The pilot program would be implemented step by step with adequate attention to risk control in an attempt to develop a framework in line with international norms for investment and trade. Areas of focus were envisioned as follows：

accelerating the transformation of government functions；

opening more areas to foreign investors；

？ promoting the transformation of trade development approach；

further opening the financial services industry， and encouraging innovation； and

improving legal and institutional arrangements.

In addition， work on an appropriate regulatory and taxation framework would also be pursued.

“Coordinated development for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region”

CoorDInATeD development for the Beijing-TianjinHebei region， as part of Chinas development strategy， aims at orderly relocating all non-essential functions from Beijing， the national capital， to neighboring locations. The move entails adjusting the economic structure and rationalizing space utilization， while exploring a new mode of optimized integrated development in a region with a dense population.

The broad region covers Beijing， Tianjin and 11 prefectural cities in the neighboring Hebei Province. Environmental protection， integrated transport services， and industrial upgrading and relocation are the three focus sectors. The Outline of the Plan for Coordinated Development for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region， released in April 2015， highlights development-oriented solutions to ecological， social， and economic problems， and incorporates considerations of environmental sustainability in development planning.

“A community with a shared future in cyberspace”

In his keynote speech at the Second World Internet Conference （WIC） in Wuzhen， China， on December 16， 2015， Xi Jinping outlined his vision for a community with a shared future in cyberspace， a vision he first brought up in his message to the First WIC in 2014. He said that since cyberspace as a sphere of human activity belongs to humanity， its future should be decided by all countries of the world. In a five-point proposal for building a cyberspace community with a shared future he highlighted the need to （a） accelerate the development of a global Internet infrastructure and promote interconnectivity； （b） create online platforms to facilitate cultural exchanges； （c） promote the development of the Internet economy and encourage innovation； （d） ensure Internet security and orderly development； and （e） build a cyberspace governance system to ensure fairness and justice.

The goal of building such a cyberspace community， as proposed by Chinas leadership， can be achieved only through joint efforts by the international community.