In March, the Chinese government issued the Vision and Proposed Actions Outlined on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. With constructive proposals and integrated planning, the document, an important  component of the new type of international system that China advocates, aims to expand inter-state cooperation and mutual benefit. It stands in stark contrast to the “law of the jungle” that still prevails in the current international climate.
 

The innovative aspect of the new type of international relations is the principle of cooperation and mutual benefit. As early as 2003, China proposed the idea of “peaceful rise” in an attempt to mitigate the concerns of some countries about China. China is a great power that is on the rise, but it will not pursue self-interest in a hostile or antagonistic way as Germany and Japan did in the first half of the 20th century. Some years later, “peaceful development” replaced the term “peaceful rise” since the word “rise” was negatively misinterpreted by some countries. In 2005, China further articulated the diplomatic concept of building a “harmonious world.”
 

Later on, China proposed the notion of “a new type of international relations” and put forward multilateral cooperation initiatives. In the fourth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia in May 2014, China proposed the “New Asian Security Summit,” which advocates common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in Asia. At the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November 2014, China proposed the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.
 

Representatives from 57 prospective founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank gathered in Beijing in June at the signing ceremony for the bank’s articles of agreement. In addition, China also advocates building the community of “common interest and destiny” with neighboring countries and building a global partnership network with countries all over the world. Such multilateral initiatives and actions have won support from the majority of countries and together represent the meaning of  “a new type of international relations” in practice.
 

However, a glance at the world shows the harsh reality of the international political status quo: the Ukrainian crisis, turmoil in the Middle East and US strategic rebalancing in the Asia-Pacific region.
Also, a revived Cold War mentality has brought about a high-stake game between the US and Russia in the Ukrainian crisis.
 

In contrast, the notion of a new type of international relations advocated by China is the polar opposite of the Cold War mentality. The non-aligned principle stresses actively developing a cooperative relationship with other countries, which the Chinese government explicitly expressed in its proposed actions for the “One Belt, One Road” initiative. In addition, China is actively stabilizing its relations with great powers. For instance, China has taken moderate measures to handle relations with the US and Russia in an attempt to seek cooperation amid conflicts.

Though it is an important target of the US Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy, China is attempting to enhance China-US relations, achieving effective results. For instance, leaders of China and the US took a leisurely stroll in Yingtai, an imperial palace in Zhongnanhai last year, after the Xi-Obama summit at Sunnylands in the US in 2013.
 

The countries became better acquainted with one another and have made some crucial headway in tackling climate change and setting up a mechanism for mutual trust between the armed forces. At the same time, China is also dedicated to developing friendly relations with as many countries in the Asia-Pacific region as possible to counter gratuitous interventions from the US.
 

In regard to the relations with Russia, China actively advocates mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries in all sectors while respecting the national interest and traditional sovereignty of Russia to maintain the overall interest of both  sides. This not only allows China and Russia to come up with coordinated solutions to sensitive issues affecting bilateral relations but also promotes synergy in global issues as well as bilateral economic and trade ties.
 

China’s  new type of diplomatic concept is increasingly gaining support from world countries and regions, and the growing international power involved in the building of “One Belt, One Road” initiative is the best testament. The new type of international relations advocated by China will inevitably supplant the Cold War mentality, and as a result, will play a bigger role in building the new world order.

 

Yang Lei is from the Zhou Enlai School of Government at Nankai University.