Toward Due Justice

Yang Guangbin, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and head of the School of International Studies of Renmin University of China, shared his view on Chinese diplomacy during an interview with Beijing Review reporter Xu Bei on March 7.

In the report delivered by President Xi Jinping at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), it was made clear that major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era seeks to foster a new type of international relations, and to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Investing in a new type of international relations is a matter of profound good that we can do in today’s world. Human society should not only rest on the present and must have objectives behind its development, which should be to build a community with a shared future for mankind through the diplomacy of the new era.

In recent centuries, globalization was first led by Britain and then by the United Sates. In this process, free enterprises, or individually owned enterprises, played the major role. However, their power was far less limited compared with a combination of state-owned capital and private companies, which are the main forces in the globalization of today led by China.

Globalization 3.0 is a form of super globalization, and is different from its previous two incarnations. The ultimate goal of this new form of globalization is to build a community with a shared future for mankind by adhering to the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration. Earlier versions of globalization, however, sought to establish a so-called free world order, which saw the architects of this international order profiting from all involved.

Diplomacy is the extension of a country’s internal affairs, and China’s pursuit of a fair international order reflects its own philosophy of governance. In governing the country, President Xi Jinping has placed a focus on social justice and it is clear that in global affairs he is also committed to creating more just and fair international order.

Americans often say they dream of a free world, but they seldom express any desire for a fair one. In the past three centuries, the world has been ruled by the law of the jungle, which is inherently cruel and without justice. That is why China must now build a community with a shared future for mankind, and a world order that can maximize justice.

This article is reprinted from Beijing Review.