Exploring the Theory of China’s People-to-People Diplomacy in the New Era

YU Xintian

ABSTRACT: The theoretical framework of China’s people-to-people diplomacy is an integral part of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the new era,people-to-people diplomacy has gained increasing prominence and significance within China's diplomatic system, reaching unprecedented levels of theoretical innovation. The theory of Chinese people-to-people diplomacy in the new era can be summarized by three pillars and a central concept. The three pillars are as follows: 1. The economic pillar emphasizes the shared economic development achievements with people worldwide. It advocates for collaborative efforts to expand the global economic pie and manage the delicate balance between competition and cooperation. In contrast to Western zero-sum geopolitical economic theories, China’s comprehensive open and cooperative economic theory not only benefits the development of countries worldwide but also facilitates the upgrading of China's economy while strengthening friendships with people from different nations. 2. The cultural pillar focuses on sharing the cultural achievements with nations worldwide. Chinese people take pride in their rich traditional culture and engage with the world with an open and inclusive mindset, nurturing common human values through cultural exchange. 3.Recognizing the significant impact of public opinion on all nations, the psychological pillar explores new approaches to overcome stereotypes, biases,and discrimination. It underscores the importance of fostering positive emotions and relationships between people. At the center of these pillars lies the concept of the “Community of Shared Future for Mankind.” This concept signifies that Chinese people-to-people diplomacy is guided by the well-being of people worldwide. It aims to promote collective identity, strengthen unity with people from all nations, and contribute to global peace and development.

KEYWORDS: people-to-people diplomatic theory, economic cooperation, cultural exchange, mutual understanding, collective identity

The Path to Promote and Optimize the Soft Connectivity of BRI Rules

LI Yuan and TU Gule

ABSTRACT: Competition and cooperation between states on international rule-making have become an important feature of the current international landscape. Shortcomings in the developed country-led model of rule-making have become increasingly prominent in recent years. In the process of promoting the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has put forward the soft connectivity of rules as a new solution for better rule alignment between countries, which has achieved remarkable results. Based on the successful practice of jointly building the BRI and guided by the principle of win-win cooperation and joint development, the fundamentals of the soft connectivity of rules of the BRI differ from the developed country-led model of rule-making. This paper summarizes the development path to promote the soft connectivity of rules of the BRI, and highlights the solution with Chinese-style concerning rule connectivity between countries.

KEYWORDS: Belt and Road Initiative, soft connectivity of rules, international cooperation, interconnectivity

Threefold Construction of External Narratives in China’s “Belt and Road” Initiative: A Case Study of Indonesia

WANG Heng and CHEN Fei

ABSTRACT: Strategic narratives, as a means for international political entities to shape shared meanings, serve as a crucial tool for China to influence international discourse, gain global recognition, and enhance its role in international debates. In the collaborative efforts between China and Indonesia on the ＂Belt and Road＂ initiative, China has progressively developed three key narrative components: a system narrative revolving around the transformation of global and regional orders, an identity narrative centered on the concept of a “China-Indonesia Community with a Shared Future,” and a policy narrative emphasizing connectivity between Indonesia and the world. These three narrative strands collectively constitute the overarching narrative of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. An ontological evaluation and analysis of this narrative reveal its distinct features, including well-defined mission objectives, promising prospects for success, and a coherent narrative structure. However, the presence of numerous counter-narratives highlights the pressing need for China to strategically construct its narratives, proactively address international concerns,and effectively counter opposing narratives in its current foreign discourse.

KEYWORDS: Belt and Road Initiative, narrative analysis, strategic narratives,China and Indonesia relations

New Developments in Antarctic Governance and China’s Response

WANG Wanlu

ABSTRACT: Antarctic governance has moved from the regional to the global level. At present, Antarctic governance presents a series of new developments,such as the recentralization of power, the soft legality of rules, and the commercialization of values. These new developments are rooted in the quest for Antarctic sovereignty by Antarctic monopolies, the “ambiguous construction” of Antarctic Treaty System, and the inherent flaws of the liberal philosophy. This has not only led to a dilemma in Antarctic governance, but also posed many challenges for China’s Antarctic engagement. China is a major participant and active builder in Antarctic governance, and has long been firmly committed to upholding the existing Antarctic governance regime and assuming Antarctic-related responsibilities. In the face of the new situations of Antarctic governance, China should avoid falling into the geopolitical confrontation,further strengthen international cooperation in Antarctic, enhance legal research on the Antarctic Treaty System, actively participate into the Working Group and ICG of the ATCM, and optimize China’s Antarctic discourse narrative, in order to complete the transformation of the Community with a Shared Future for Mankind from concept to practice.

KEYWORDS: Antarctic governance, territorial sovereignty, Antarctic Treaty System, a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

China’s Approaches to Arctic Governance from the Perspective of Public Goods

TAN Tan

ABSTRACT: Arctic governance encompasses a variety of institutions, goals, and regulations. The vast majority of Arctic issues have cross-border and cross regional characteristics. In essence, they are global public issues. Arctic governance is “ineffective” now, mainly due to the widening gap between the supply and demand of public goods. The global dimension of Arctic governance determines that the public goods cannot be supplied only by Arctic countries or regional arrangements. As a near-Arctic state and Arctic stakeholder, China not only has the right but also needs to persist in providing public goods for Arctic governance. However, the knowledge and technology urgently needed by Arctic governance is far from enough. The rules of environmental and ecosystem protection should be strengthened, and the institutions for the rational use of Arctic resources and waterways need to be formulated. Therefore, China should vigorously enhance its capacity to supply the public goods, such as knowledge and technology, actively improve the mechanism of Arctic marine environment and ecosystem protection, and enthusiastically participate in the sustainable economic development of the Arctic region. Meanwhile, China should promote the rationalization of international rules for Arctic navigation.

KEYWORDS: Arctic governance, global public issues, public goods, Arctic stakeholder

Reshaping the Global Climate Governance System by Europe and the United States: From “Climate Club” to “Carbon Border Adjustment”

GUAN Kongwen and LI Qianhui

ABSTRACT: The concepts of the “Climate Club” and “Carbon Border Adjustment” have been proposed by developed nations in Europe and the United States as solutions to address the inadequacies in global climate governance in the post-pandemic era. The “Climate Club” operates by offering exclusive rewards to its members while imposing punitive measures on non-members,while “Carbon Border Adjustment” regulates the carbon emission costs of domestic production and internationally imported products through carbon pricing. These two approaches share certain commonalities and differences in terms of policy objectives, types, tools, and policy diffusion, and they have a significant impact on the global governance system. They have not only undermined the effectiveness of multilateral climate governance cooperation under the United Nations framework, leading to disputes over climate leadership,but also intensified the trend towards governance fragmentation and complexity.They have also altered the interaction patterns of international trade and global climate governance through unilateralism, posing challenges to the compatibility between the two. China, as both a target of pressure within the “Climate Club” and “Carbon Border Adjustment” initiatives and an essential collaborator, has consistently adhered to the principles of multilateral cooperation and the “common but differentiated responsibilities.” China opposes unilateralism and trade protectionism while advocating for a fair and just carbon-neutral order. This approach has effectively contributed to the reform and enhancement of the global climate governance system. Moreover, China has accelerated the establishment of its domestic carbon market, driving the optimization and upgrade of its industrial structure.

KEYWORDS: carbon border adjustment, climate club, carbon tariffs, climate governance, Chinese climate diplomacy

U.S. Proxy Warfare in the Middle East: Characteristics and Trends

WEN Shaobiao and WANG Jialin

ABSTRACT: Over the past decade, the political fragmentation of the Middle East and the collapse of certain fragile states’ power structures have intensified the resurgence of regional proxy wars. As the largest foreign interventionist power in the region, the United States has actively reformed the principal-agent model,which generates what we call “complex proxy warfare” characterized by four remarkable trends: interactivation of warfare, networkization of proxy relationships, technologization of conflicts, and marketization of military outsourcing. The United States exerts an influence through the interweaving of multi-level control chains, and introduces intelligent forms of ‘high-tech agents’into the multidimensional conflicts. Moreover, Washington has introduced private commercial arms, turning them into a “force multiplier” for proxy warfare, which escalates the marketization of military outsourcing. We argue that the frequent occurrence of asymmetric and unconventional conflicts has profoundly changed the warfare mode, and may thus leave a lasting impact on the region’s “reconciliation wave.”

KEYWORDS: U.S. policy, Middle East security, complex proxy warfare,multi-dimensional conflict

Dilemmas and Prospects of Japan’s Military-Industrial Transition in the Face of Strengthened Military Capabilities

SHU Biquan

ABSTRACT: Over the past decade, Japan has been gradually transitioning its military-industrial development model from one characterized by government protection to a more market-competitive approach. However, Japan’s military-industrial sector is currently facing a transition dilemma when assessed through indicators such as the share of military procurement, the proportion of research and development investment, the competitiveness of arms exports, and international collaboration. This dilemma is rooted in structural factors, including the tension between domestic and U.S. procurement, the paradox of export control versus export incentives, the contrast between negative and positive pacifist ideologies, and the imbalance between a company’s core business and its military production. These factors collectively influence Japan’s ability to expand its military capabilities. Japan’s “Three Security Documents” outline a strategic goal of fundamentally enhancing its military capabilities. This includes a focus on strengthening the “government-civilian integration” collaborative framework,advancing military technological applications, and ensuring supply chain resilience. Japan aims to create a technological advantage, enhance its domestic industrial base, improve interoperability with allied military equipment, and ultimately establish a distinctive Japanese-style military-industrial complex.Concurrently, Japan seeks to establish technological superiority and power projection capabilities to deter potential adversaries. The Japanese government has implemented various measures to boost the military-industrial sector, such as relaxing restrictions on military equipment exports and expanding overseas military-industrial markets. These initiatives are critical factors in assessing the future prospects of Japan’s military-industrial transition.

KEYWORDS: security policy, military industrial policy, military industrial complex, arms exports