Xi Jinping brings new approach to Chinese diplomacy: Duowei

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-04-19

Xi Jinping greets Vietnamese Communist Party secretary-general Nguyen
Phu Trong in Beijing on April 7. (Photo/Xinhua)

President Xi Jinping of China is adopting a fresh approach to diplomacy that displays greater flexibility and independence than his predecessors, writes Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet.

Since the time of PRC founder Mao Zedong, the commentary said, China's diplomatic strategy has been highly defensive and aimed at protecting the country's socialist ideology. Mao's approach was modified by his successors Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, but now it appears that Xi is breaking out of the old model, the article said, noting that he is willing to accept a strategic retreat in diplomatic dealings.

According to Duowei, Xi's version of diplomacy is pragmatic and independent; he's not dictated to by opponents but is also not dragged down by allies. As an example, the commentary points to Xi's dealings with Russia. Despite being China's largest strategic supporter, Xi did not explicitly support Russia's decision to annex Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014. On the other hand, Xi did not offend Russia either, as China became the only international power to not condemn Russia for the crisis, choosing instead to stick to its own principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, despite Russia demonstrably interfering in the internal affairs of another country. Xi's handling of the situation reflects China's growing independence, Duowei said.

Xi's approach to diplomacy can also be gleaned from his approach to dealing with India and Pakistan, the latter of which he will visit for the first time this week in his capacity as president. Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao visited Pakistan much later in their respective terms and coupled their trips with a visit to India. Xi, on the other hand, will be making an isolated trip to Pakistan having already visited India last September.

Also noteworthy is that Xi rejected Pakistan's invitation to a military parade in February. The reason for this, Duowei said, is because President Barack Obama of the US attended India's military parade in January and Xi did not want to be caught up in a tit-for-tat between India and Pakistan. Compared to past leaders, Xi has been much more flexible, ensuring that China is not tied to one at the cost of being an enemy to the other, the commentary said.

The same can be said for Xi's dealings with North Korea. China is growing apart from its longtime ally because Xi is unwilling to back North Korea's decision to continue carrying out nuclear tests. Instead, Xi has strengthened ties with South Korea and has even increased cooperation with the US on nuclear disarmament of the Korean peninsula. This shows that Xi has not been affected by China's traditional ideological battle or geopolitical considerations, the article said.

Lastly, in the South China Sea, Xi has remained aggressive in defending China's claims in territorial disputes. Xi was not afraid to offend Vietnam when the two sides clashed over an oil rig near the disputed Paracel Islands last year, but he has been willing to retreat from his stance to amend ties by welcoming Vietnamese Communist Party secretary-general Nguyen Phu Trong on a historic visit to China earlier this month. The official Xinhua news agency hailed the trip as a sign that both sides "cherished their strong and lasting bond," while the nationalistic Global Times tabloid said that neither country "would allow anybody to drive a wedge between them," a thinly veiled reference to US attempts to cozy up to Vietnam as a part of Obama's "Asia Pivot" strategy.