President Xi Jinping's recent speech on China's foreign policy has caught the international community's attention for more than one reason. The meeting (Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs), held for the second time in eight years, is a rare occasion in China outlining its foreign policy for the world.
President Xi Jinping’s recent speech on China’s foreign policy has caught the international community’s attention for more than one reason. The meeting (Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs), held for the second time in eight years, is a rare occasion in China outlining its foreign policy for the world. The speech outlines Beijing’s foreign policy directions for the coming years and also attempts to explain some of its behaviour and strategies in recent times.
President Xi maintained that China is on the path of ’peaceful development’ and its policies are towards building ’win win cooperation’. The speech balances between the need to reduce China’s aggressive tone to firmly assert what it considers as its own. He noted,
We [China] should continue to follow the win-win strategy of opening-up and a win-win approach in every aspect of our external relations such as political, economic, security and cultural fields.
While we pursue peaceful development, we will never relinquish our legitimate rights and interests, or allow China’s core interests to be undermined.
We should increase China’s soft power, give a good Chinese narrative, and better communicate China’s message to the world.
President Xi also underlined that China should "observe the world through the prism of historical laws"; perhaps a message for the disputes in the South China Sea which Beijing bases on historical claims. The speech also outlines that the world is moving toward a multipolar order and that Beijing is an important player in the strategic space. He particularly noted that Beijing must "uphold… territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests and national unity, and properly handle territorial and island disputes.
There have been various analyses on President Xi’s foreign policy speech. While one group emphasises on the softer tone of the speech, the other seems to be concentrating on Beijing’s message that it seeks to change the existing world order. The speech is in fact a careful mixture of both – a message that China is focused on development through win-win cooperation, at the same time; it is ready to play the role of a great power of the 21st Century.
Recent Analysis:
Dingding Chen, "Xi Jinping’s Evolution of Chinese Grand Strategy", The Diplomat, December 02, 2014
Rory Medcalf, "Xi Jinping’s speech: More diplomacy, less raw power", The Interpreter,December 01, 2014
MEDIA WATCH
Beijing says it has ensured stability with air defence zone
Beijing’s controversial air defence identification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea has ensured safety and security, the Defence Ministry said yesterday, dismissing criticism that it had exacerbated regional tension. (South China Morning Post)
Chinese ships pay first visit to Senkaku Islands since Abe-Xi summit
Chinese ships returned to Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands on Tuesday, the Japan Coast Guard said, the first incursion since a Sino-Japanese summit aimed at reducing tensions. ( (The Japan Times)
China building South China Sea Island big enough for airstrip
Satellite images show China is building an island on a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands large enough to accommodate what could be its first offshore airstrip in the South China Sea. IHS Jane’s said images it had obtained showed the Chinese-built island on the Fiery Cross Reef to be "large enough to construct a runway and apron." ((Reuters)
Japan raises military profile in naval war games with U.S.
Japan stepped up its role in large-scale war games with the United States this week, with one of its admirals commanding air and sea maneuvers that the U.S. military described as the most complex ever overseen by the Japanese navy.( (Reuters)
Cross-border terrorism: Prime Minister Narendra Modi adds Australia in the fight
On the last day of his Australia trip, Modi addressed a joint session of the Australian parliament where he termed Australia a major partner of India in "every area of our national priority", and called for closer economic and security cooperation between the two nations, including in maintaining maritime security. ((The Economic Times)
China insists on ’dual-track’ approach to resolving South China Sea issues
China’s proposal of a "dual-track" approach on the South China Sea issue was confirmed at the 12th China-ASEAN Meeting. The "dual-track" approach means that any relevant dispute will be addressed by the countries directly concerned through friendly consultations and negotiations and in a peaceful way. ((People’s Daily)
Vietnam Premier Calls for South China Sea Restraint
Vietnam’s premier called on countries not to alter rocks and shoals in the South China Sea and warned that improperly-handled disputes with China risk damaging bilateral relations between the two nations. (Bloomberg)
China offers ASEAN friendship, loans as South China Sea tension bubbles
China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang proposed a friendship treaty with Southeast Asian countries and offered $20 billion in loans on Thursday but held firm on the line that Beijing will only settle South China Sea disputes directly with other claimants. (Reuters)
Beijing, Philippines move to calm South China Sea tensions
Philippine President Benigno Aquino said he and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had a "meeting of minds" on Tuesday during talks which included a territorial row that has soured relations between the South China Sea states. (The Economic Times)
Japanese Leader Cites Improved Ties with Beijing
Striking an upbeat note, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan said Tuesday that he believed his country and China had taken a major step forward in repairing relations, and that from now on there should be frequent dialogue between them. (Bloomberg)
COMMENTARIES
South China Sea: Time for India To Mark Its Presence
– – Darshana M. Baruah
– – Darshana M. Baruah
Synopsis
India has been overly cautious about increasing its interest in the Western Pacific. Recent developments under the Modi Government, however, hint at a greater political will in playing a part in shaping the changing security architecture.
Commentary
AS TENSION in the South China Sea continues to rise, countries like Vietnam and the Philippines are increasingly looking toward other regional powers to increase and maintain their interest in the Western Pacific. With growing India-Vietnam defence ties, Hanoi in particular is keen on India’s presence in the region, be it for economic or strategic reasons.
However, India has been unable to meet the expectations of its ASEAN friends, who more often than not complain about New Delhi not ’doing enough’ in the security domain. While India continues to maintain its distance from any ’contain China’ strategy, recent developments suggest that New Delhi is more willing to listen to its ASEAN friends. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden presence at the 9th East Asia Summit and the 12th India-ASEAN summit in Myanmar last week provides a glimpse into India’s willingness to be involved in regional security issues beyond its shores.
Maritime security
Under the leadership of Modi, the new government has renewed its interest in maritime security and has recognised the need to be involved in shaping the changing security architecture of the Indo-Pacific.
In boosting defence ties, India is also focusing on strengthening its maritime partnerships with the navies of the region such as Australia, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam. India offered a US$ 100 million line of credit to Vietnam, which was re-iterated during the visit of the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to Delhi in October 2014. Hanoi in turn is looking to use the credit to buy new naval vessels from New Delhi in an effort to strengthen its maritime defence in the South China Sea.
New Delhi must now also look to strengthen its maritime partnership with Jakarta under the leadership of President Joko Widodo – the new leader in Indonesia paying special attention to the maritime strategy of the country.
Joint statements
One of Modi’s first overseas visits was to Japan, an important player in the Indo-Pacific and embroiled in a potentially dangerous dispute with Beijing over the East China Sea. The Tokyo Declaration at the end of the visit on 3 September 2014 "attached importance to the regularisation of bilateral maritime exercises as well as to Japan’s continued participation in India – US Malabar series of exercises".
Earlier this year, New Delhi invited Japan to participate in the Malabar Exercises – the annual U.S.-India joint naval exercises. The trilateral exercises in the Western Pacific have raised some concerns in Beijing. The joint statement at the end of Modi’s visit to the US in September 2014 was of great significance both for the reason that for the first time India made a direct comment on dispute resolution in the South China Sea and that it was in a joint statement with Washington.
The statement read that "The leaders expressed concern about rising tensions over maritime territorial disputes, and affirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime security and ensuring freedom of navigation and over-flight throughout the region, especially in the South China Sea". The statement also urges all parties to resolve the dispute in a peaceful manner in accordance with international law, drawing criticisms from Beijing.
Furthermore, when the Vietnamese Prime Minister paid an official visit to India, the South China Sea was mentioned once again in their joint statement. The statement called for freedom of navigation through the South China Sea and urged all disputing parties to work toward the implementation of the Code of Conduct.
India’s repeated mention of the South China Sea in joint statements is definitely a shift from its previous statements on maritime security. Although New Delhi has previously remarked on the need to ensure maritime security and freedom of navigation in the region, it has never named any country or an area in dispute.
Time to end timidity of China
Continuing with the trend, Modi again emphasised the need to stabilise the South China Sea in the recently concluded 12th India-ASEAN Summit and the 9th East Asia Summit in Myanmar. At both forums Modi emphasised the need to follow international norms to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, a comment directed at China.
What is also of significance is India’s choice of platforms in making these comments. In the face of a weakening American alliance in Asia, Modi’s statement on the South China Sea with Obama signifies an increasing need for New Delhi to play a leadership role in regional security. Perhaps India is finally gathering the political will to play a greater role as a security provider in the region.
Similarly, the joint statement with Vietnam is a re-assurance to one of India’s closest friend in the Southeast Asia engaged in a sharp dispute with China. Modi also met with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan – two other nations in dispute with China in the East China and the South China seas – signalling a greater willingness to play an active role in regional security.
Beijing is mostly wary of such actions as it opposes the internationalisation of the disputes in the contested waters, continuously warning other nations from engaging in the region. China is staunch in its demand that all disputes in the region be resolved bilaterally, without intervention or mediation from any other nation or multilateral institution.
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