The Contemporary Significance, Civilizational Logic, and Chinese Proposals for Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind — An Interview with Argentine Sinologist Sabina Frydman
María Francesca Staiano (PhD in Law), Director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Institute of International Relations of the National University of La Plata (Argentina), Director of the Center for Latin American Studies on the Community with a Shared Future for Humanity and the Belt and Road Initiative, founding member of the World Association for Chinese Studies, and researcher in the "China and the Map of World Power" working group of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO). Her primary research areas include the construction of the rule of law in China, Chinese international relations theory, China-Latin America relations, and China-Europe relations. She is the author of Chinese Law and its International Projection: Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity (2023), among other works.
I. The Epochal Significance of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity
○ (He Qin, hereafter the same): Professor Staiano, hello! Thank you very much for accepting our interview. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity. Over the past decade, this concept has been transformed from an idea into action and from a vision into reality, gaining extensive praise and active participation from people all over the world. As a scholar in Argentina studying the issue of a community with a shared future for humanity, how do you perceive the historical background and epochal significance of this concept?
● (Staiano, hereafter the same): In 2011, the white paper China’s Peaceful Development proposed seeking a new connotation for the common interests and common values of humanity from the new perspective of a "community of shared destiny." In 2012, the report to the 18th National Congress of the CPC proposed "promoting a sense of a community with a shared future for humanity." In 2013, during a speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in Russia, President Xi Jinping officially proposed the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity for the first time in an international setting. In February 2017, the concept was written into a United Nations resolution for the first time. In October 2017, it was incorporated into the Constitution of the Communist Party of China. In 2018, "promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity" was written into the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.
Today, the concept is mentioned in almost all official documents of the CPC and speeches by its leaders. For example, the fifth part of the white paper Poverty Alleviation: China’s Experience and Contribution is dedicated to explaining the "joint construction of a community with a shared future for humanity characterized by zero poverty and common development." The first part of the white paper China's International Development Cooperation in the New Era discusses how "the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity guides China's international development cooperation in the New Era." All white papers published by the Chinese government in recent years emphasize the important epochal significance of this concept.
The concept of a "community with a shared future for humanity" was not born by chance, but is a product of our times, resulting from the continuous development of Chinese civilization and the intersection and fusion of Chinese and Western civilizations. Along with the rise of China's comprehensive national strength, international status, and international influence, Chinese international relations theory and practice have faced new epochal challenges and development demands. President Xi Jinping pointed out that "the international community is increasingly becoming a community with a shared future in which you are in me and I am in you." Building a community with a shared future for humanity is an important goal for China in advocating for the establishment of a new type of international relations and promoting major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. The Constitution of the Communist Party of China states: "Promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and work to build an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity."
○: Over the past decade, President Xi Jinping has made a series of important expositions on building a community with a shared future for humanity, and the ideological connotation of this concept has been continuously enriched and expanded. How do you understand the cultural heritage and core values contained within the concept?
●: I believe that the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity possesses deep roots in traditional Chinese culture. Some scholars believe that the concept reflects the essential reflections of ancient Chinese philosophy on diversity and unity, chaos and order, and the relationship between humanity and nature. It is a practical philosophy centered on the important Chinese cultural concept of "relationality," interpreting the intrinsic value of inclusive cooperation found in "Golden Mean dialectics" [1]. For example, the pronunciation of the Chinese character ren (仁, "benevolence") is the same as ren (人, "person/human"), and its written form consists of the components for "person" (亻) and "two" (二). This indicates that the human nature of "goodwill and fraternal love" is realized through establishing relationships with others. The concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity is an inheritance and promotion of the Chinese intellectual tradition of "putting people first."
The concept embodies the common values of all humanity. It includes the common values followed by the contemporary international community in its general interactions. For example, the concept reflects the principles of equality and sovereignty in the Peace of Westphalia, the principles of international humanitarianism established by the Geneva Conventions, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence established by the Bandung Conference, and the four purposes and seven principles of the UN Charter. President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom are the common values of all humanity and the lofty goals of the United Nations... In today's world, all countries are interdependent and share weal and woe. We should inherit and carry forward the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, build a new type of international relations centered on win-win cooperation, and create a community with a shared future for humanity."
The concept also reflects the political wisdom of contemporary Chinese leaders. It is the inheritance and development of Mao Zedong’s thoughts on peaceful diplomacy, Deng Xiaoping’s important expositions on "peace and development issues," Jiang Zemin’s "new security concept," and Hu Jintao’s "harmonious world." Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the latest theoretical achievement and practical guide for promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. As President Xi Jinping stated in his opening speech at the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation: "The ancient silk routes spanned the valleys of the Nile, the Tigris and Euphrates, the Indus and the Ganges, and the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. They crossed the birthplaces of the Egyptian, Babylonian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations, the lands where Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims gathered, and the places where people of different nations and skin colors lived. Different civilizations, religions, and races sought common ground while reserving differences [2], remained open and inclusive, wrote a magnificent poem of mutual respect together, and drew a beautiful picture of common development hand in hand."
○: What impact do you think building a community with a shared future for humanity has had on global intellectual circles? Specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, what responses and resonances has it generated?
●: Building a community with a shared future for humanity aligns with the long-standing historical aspirations of people in Latin American countries for independence, international cooperation, and the establishment of a fair and just international order. The concept coincides with certain viewpoints in indigenous Latin American international relations theories. For example, "Autonomy Theory," represented by Argentine scholar Juan Carlos Puig and Brazilian scholar Hélio Jaguaribe, made original contributions to international relations theory from the perspective of the Southern Cone countries. Autonomy Theory is a product of intellectual fusion, absorbing elements from Center-Periphery theory and building a bridge for dialogue between indigenous Latin American "Dependency Theory" and the two mainstream international relations paradigms of "Realism" and "Interdependence."
There are at least two commonalities between Autonomy Theory and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. First is national autonomy. Latin American Autonomy Theory holds that international relations theory is regional, and the marginalized historical plight of post-colonial countries should be corrected theoretically. National autonomy is a strategic goal determined by social, cultural, economic, and technological variables; the theory advocates replacing dependency with autonomy and changing the reality of post-colonialism and Western-centrism by building a new international order. Autonomy Theory is a Southern international relations theory that emphasizes the concept of "autonomy," aiming to study the ability of sovereign states to exercise their right to self-determination. Its theoretical premise is that in the North-South confrontation of the international structure, not all sovereign states enjoy self-determination; national autonomy depends on the possibility of countries exercising self-determination without being controlled or dominated.
Second is national development. Autonomy Theory argues that development is a multi-dimensional concept, related not only to economic factors but more importantly to the conditions of "human development." Socio-cultural integration and high-level moral education are important conditions for a nation's autonomous development. Although significant cultural differences exist between China and Latin American countries, their shared experiences show that national autonomy and development are closely linked. Since 1978, through reform and opening up, China has continuously advanced Chinese-path modernization, transforming from a large agricultural country to a large industrial country, and shifting from a role of "hiding one's light and biding one's time" [3] to a more active contributor to global governance. Whether it is the Belt and Road Initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the BRICS group and its cooperation mechanisms, or economic globalization and international markets, none can do without China's participation and contribution. Latin American Autonomy Theory proposes new concepts for the global legal order, such as "solidary integration," emphasizing the necessity for peripheral countries to achieve autonomous development through solidarity and cooperation. Strategically, this coincides with Chinese concepts such as "harmony in diversity" and "coexistence and co-prosperity." Building solidary integration in Latin America requires attending to the relations between countries, maintaining alliances in the process of symbiosis, and promoting the building of a new order for a community with a shared future for humanity that upholds international justice.
○: As a Chinese solution for global governance, President Xi Jinping proposed promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity from political, security, economic, cultural, and ecological aspects. On a practical level, what impact do you think building a community with a shared future for humanity has had on promoting the reform of the global governance system and the democratization of international relations?
●: As a Chinese solution for global governance, building a community with a shared future for humanity is committed to promoting international solidarity and cooperation and the democratization of international relations. Its core values are highly consistent with the purposes of the United Nations’ human rights cause and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, bringing hope to global human rights governance which is currently in distress.
The building of a community with a shared future for humanity concerns the development of human rights worldwide and the harmonious symbiosis of the Earth. Its importance has been repeatedly mentioned at international summits and has received positive responses from the international community. In September 2015, while attending the general debate of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech titled "Working Together to Forge a New Partnership of Win-Win Cooperation and Create a Community of Shared Future for Mankind." In January 2017, while attending the high-level meeting on "Discussing and Building a Community of Shared Future for Mankind" at the UN Headquarters in Geneva, President Xi delivered a keynote speech titled "Work Together to Build a Community of Shared Future for Mankind."
In February 2017, the concept was written into the "Social Dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa's Development" resolution adopted by the 55th session of the UN Commission for Social Development—the first time it was included in a UN document. Subsequently, the concept was adopted by various resolutions of the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and the Disarmament and International Security Committee of the UN General Assembly. In June 2020, UN Human Rights Council Resolution 43/21, "Promoting Mutually Beneficial Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights," emphasized the "importance of building a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, equity, justice and mutually beneficial cooperation, and of building a community of shared future for human beings, in which human rights are enjoyed by all." The concept's elevation from the Chinese Constitution to an international norm reflects not only the expectation of people worldwide for the democratization of international relations and their identification with a community with a shared future for humanity, but also China's practice of international human rights law and its contribution to the rule of law in international relations. International law provides legal consensus and norms for building a community with a shared future for humanity; the recognition and implementation of this concept in the sense of international law requires the joint efforts of the international community.
Faced with a complex and volatile international situation and a deeply adjusting international order, the concept of "building a community with a shared future for humanity" aims to unite the people of the world to jointly address global challenges. In his speech at the opening ceremony of the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Human society is in an era of great development, great transformation, and great adjustment. World multi-polarization, economic globalization, social digitalization, and cultural diversity are developing in depth. The trend of peace and development is becoming stronger, and the pace of transformation and innovation continues forward."
In an era of economic globalization where opportunities and challenges coexist, building a community with a shared future for humanity injects vitality into the economic, social, political, and cultural ties between different countries, nations, and civilizations. China’s promotion of this concept is, on the one hand, conducive to creating a positive external environment for its own economic growth, sustainable development, national reunification, and socialist modernization; on the other hand, it is conducive to the people of the world jointly responding to non-traditional security challenges such as separatism, terrorism, and extremism, contributing to the realization of world peace, development, and the progress of human civilization. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC:
"The dreams of the Chinese people are interconnected with the dreams of people across all nations. Realizing the Chinese Dream cannot be separated from a peaceful international environment and a stable international order... We must persist in the right approach to friendship and interests [4], establish a new security concept that is common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable, and seek development prospects characterized by openness, innovation, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit. We must promote civilizational exchanges defined by harmony without uniformity [5] and inclusiveness, and construct an ecological system that respects nature and pursues green development. We must always be builders of world peace, contributors to global development, and defenders of the international order."
In specific domains of global governance, the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity presents itself as a series of specific community concepts. For example, in 2016, at the fourth Nuclear Security Summit, President Xi Jinping proposed "building a community with a shared future for nuclear security," and at the third World Internet Conference, he proposed "building a community with a shared future in cyberspace." The enrichment and expansion of the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity reflect China's consistent wisdom and leadership in global affairs. Especially at a time when the economic interdependence of countries is increasing while political differences continue to widen, it provides a Chinese solution to the fundamental question of "where is human society headed?"
II. The Civilizational Logic of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity
Q: Building a community with a shared future for humanity is an essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization. Promoting the construction of this community endows Chinese-path modernization with a sublime mission for the times. Chinese-path modernization draws on and absorbs all the outstanding achievements of human civilization, representing the developmental direction of human civilizational progress. How do you evaluate the new form of human civilization created by Chinese-path modernization?
A: The new form of human civilization created by Chinese-path modernization has been fully demonstrated during the decade or so of China’s New Era.
First, the "New Normal of the economy" [6] is a landmark and innovative concept created by Chinese-path modernization in the field of economic development. Achieving high-speed economic growth is one of the core goals pursued by Western economic theory. In contrast, China's concept of the "New Normal" breaks through the theoretical limitations of Western economics' "growth-only" focus. It seeks sustainable economic development based on a symmetrical economic structure, coordinately advancing economic growth and social development so that economic growth serves political democracy and social well-being to the greatest extent possible.
Second, accelerating the construction of a new development pattern is an important strategic deployment for advancing Chinese-path modernization. Constructing a new development pattern with domestic dual circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international dual circulation reinforcing each other reflects China's dialectical-unified strategic thinking and its planning ability to coordinate all factors. At the strategic level, it both seeks a higher level of opening up to the outside world and remains grounded in a higher level of self-reliance and self-strengthening. In specific policy areas, it actively expands overseas exports while emphasizing the stimulation of domestic consumption. As President Xi Jinping remarked: "China's door to the world will never be closed, but will only open wider. Taking the domestic circulation as the mainstay is by no means a closed-door operation; rather, it is about better connecting the domestic and international markets by leveraging the potential of domestic demand, utilizing both markets and both types of resources to achieve more robust and sustainable development."
Furthermore, the new development philosophy reflects the historical progress and comparative advantages of Chinese-path modernization. Since the 1980s, China's modernization process also experienced the predicament of environmental degradation seen in the history of Western modernization. The new development philosophy advocates for green development and environmental protection, manifesting the importance Chinese-path modernization places on sustainable development at the economic and legal levels.
Finally, China’s environmental protection philosophy embodies the essence of Confucian and Taoist thought regarding the relationship between humanity and nature. The concept of green development is consistent with the Communist Party of China's goal of building a socialist ecological civilization and is a contemporary product of China's rule of law in ecological civilization. China has not only made international commitments to emissions reductions but has also made significant progress in legislation for ecological and environmental protection. Article 9, Chapter I of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China stipulates: "The state ensures the rational use of natural resources and protects rare animals and plants. The misappropriation or damaging of natural resources by any organization or individual by whatever means is prohibited." Article 9, Chapter I, Part I of the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China stipulates: "In their civil activities, the parties shall act in a manner conducive to the conservation of resources and the protection of the ecological environment." Articles 1229–1235 of Chapter VII, Book VII, outline "liability for environmental pollution and ecological damage." In 2018, China enacted its first green tax law, the Environmental Protection Tax Law of the People's Republic of China. In 2022, China released the Administrative Measures for Ecological and Environmental Damage Compensation, stipulating that individuals and enterprises that damage the environment must not only bear corresponding administrative and criminal responsibilities but also fulfill compensation obligations. China’s integration of the "Green Principle" into the Civil Code reflects its protection of the basic human right to a healthy environment and conforms to the development trends of international environmental law.
Q: Building a community with a shared future for humanity aims to promote the common values of all humanity and facilitate exchange, mutual learning, and harmonious coexistence between different civilizations. Whole-process people's democracy is the essential attribute of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics; this form of democracy enriches the "garden" of human political civilization. How do you evaluate China's whole-process people's democracy and political civilization with Chinese characteristics?
A: The achievements of economic and social development in China's New Era fully demonstrate the pragmatic efficiency of China's whole-process people's democracy. This democracy provides the institutional guarantee for China to achieve high-level, high-quality sustainable development. At the national level, China's whole-process people's democracy is a system of democratic political institutions with the system of People's Congresses as the fundamental political institution, and the system of CPC-led multi-party cooperation and political consultation, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and the system of community-level self-governance as its foundation. It adheres to the Party's centralized and unified leadership, implements the principle of democratic centralism, maximizes the protection of the people's political rights, and avoids the alienation and disconnection between national political life and the lives of ordinary people.
China's democratic concepts and experiences are precisely what Western democracy lacks. The Western public has gradually been reduced to "onlookers" of politics, existing only as a "public" in terms of television ratings or as "consumers" in the sense of individualistic economic interests. China's whole-process people's democracy is not only formal and institutional but also plays a substantive role in the lives of the people. It has liberated the Chinese people from extreme poverty and created landmark developmental achievements, profoundly interpreting the effectiveness of Chinese democracy.
China is following a democratic path different from that of the West. Chinese democracy is independent and autonomous, held in the hands of the Chinese people themselves. Based on the country's own national conditions and inheriting China's unique democratic traditions and thought, this democratic model provides a paradigm different from the West for countries in the world seeking independent development and democracy. China will expand the international influence of its democratic values by practicing the Global Development Initiative and promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity.
III. The Chinese Solution for Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity
Q: Currently, changes in the world, the times, and history are unfolding in unprecedented ways. Facing the intensifying global peace deficit, development deficit, security deficit, and governance deficit, President Xi Jinping creatively proposed the three major initiatives to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity: the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). How do you evaluate the significance of these three initiatives for our times?
A: The Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative are the three pillars for building a community with a shared future for humanity; they are secondary goals driving the construction of that community.
The GDI is an accelerator for the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, aiming to achieve 17 sustainable development goals through strengthened strategic cooperation between countries within the UN framework. On September 21, 2021, President Xi Jinping first proposed the GDI during the General Debate of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly in an important speech titled "Bolstering Confidence and Jointly Overcoming Difficulties to Build a Better World." On June 24, 2022, at the High-level Dialogue on Global Development, President Xi delivered a speech titled "Forging High-Quality Partnership for a New Era of Global Development" and proposed 32 pragmatic cooperation measures for China to implement the GDI. As of October 2022, more than 100 countries and international organizations supported the initiative, and 68 countries had joined the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative at the UN.
The GSI aims to establish a comprehensive and multi-dimensional security concept. In 2014, President Xi Jinping proposed a new Asian security concept characterized by common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, which has received wide recognition and support from the international community. The essence of this concept is to advocate for common security, respecting and maintaining the security of all countries; to advocate for comprehensive security, maintaining both traditional and non-traditional security while strengthening coordination in security governance; to advocate for cooperative security, achieving safety through political dialogue and peaceful negotiations; and to advocate for sustainable security, resolving conflicts through development to eliminate the breeding ground for insecurity.
The GCI advocates respecting the diversity of world civilizations and insists on civilizational equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness. Every country possesses unique anthropological experiences and its own historical and civilizational dignity. In the dialogue between civilizations, all countries, regardless of size, should be respected. China's over 5,000 years of civilization enable it to transcend differences in values, ideologies, and political models to maintain and deepen cooperation with other countries and regions. The Chinese scholar Zhao Tingyang has pointed out that China’s political traditions and practices based on the "Tianxia" (all-under-heaven) outlook [7] are fundamentally different from the "nation-state" system and order evolved from the Western "polis" (city-state). It is no accident that China defines itself as a "civilizational state." China has a tradition of inclusiveness in international relations, whereas the Western world tends toward establishing front-on, direct, or even confrontational relationships. Chinese civilization absorbs the excellent achievements of all civilizations and possesses outstanding inclusiveness, allowing China to maintain diverse and stable relations with peoples across the world in political, economic, social, and cultural fields. The exchange and mutual learning between Chinese civilization and other world civilizations promote win-win cooperation and common development for all countries.
Advocating for civilizational dialogue is the core essence of building a community with a shared future for humanity. As President Xi Jinping said: "We should let cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority, thereby promoting mutual understanding, respect, and trust among nations." Civilizational dialogue has gradually become a new paradigm in international relations, seeking mutual respect, understanding, trust, and identification among peoples through dialogue to enhance tolerance, expand consensus, dissolve conflict, and promote global economic development and progress.
Ma Zhaoxu, China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, pointed out: "Diversity is the basic characteristic of human civilization; civilizations differ only like flowers of various colors, but there is no hierarchy of superior or inferior. We must call upon relevant countries to set aside arrogance and prejudice, reject the fallacy of the 'clash of civilizations' [8], seek common ground while reserving differences, learn from each other's strengths, and pursue harmonious coexistence and win-win cooperation." In March 2014, in a speech at UNESCO headquarters, President Xi Jinping also mentioned that the most important thing in promoting civilizational exchange and mutual learning is to acknowledge that civilizations are colorful, equal, and inclusive.
The Argentine scholar Javier Tolcachier believes that "civilizational dialogue" is the core essence of the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity because it opposes all dangerous ideas advocating hot or cold wars and the "dead-end" paths that continually push humanity toward armed conflict. President Xi Jinping noted: "History tells us that only through exchange and mutual learning can a civilization remain full of vitality. As long as we uphold the spirit of inclusiveness, there will be no 'clash of civilizations,' and harmony between civilizations can be achieved."
Q: Over the past 10 years, under China's active promotion, the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity has achieved historic results across various fields and at multiple levels—from individual countries to regions, and from bilateral to multilateral cooperation. How do you evaluate the role and responsibility China has shouldered as a major power in this process?
A: The vision of a community with a shared future for humanity concerns cooperation at all levels, provides a normative basis in terms of international law for building a new international order, and offers a feasible set of international conduct norms for all countries to achieve autonomous development. The inclusion of this vision in the 2018 amendment to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China is of great historical significance. On one hand, it marks a new starting point for China to embark on the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; on the other hand, it demonstrates to the world China’s ideal propositions for the world order. This amendment reflects not only the political maturity and updated international propositions of the Chinese Constitution but also the profound adjustment of the international landscape and China's proactive role within it.
In September and October 2013, during his visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia, President Xi Jinping successively proposed the major initiatives of jointly building the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road." Subsequently, the Chinese government established the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative and set up an office for this group within the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China. In March 2015, China released the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. In May 2017, the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was successfully held in Beijing. In his speech at the opening ceremony, President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Development is the master key to solving all problems. In pushing forward the Belt and Road Initiative, we should focus on the fundamental issue of development, release the development potential of various countries, and achieve economic integration, interconnected development, and the sharing of outcomes." Under the framework of building a community with a shared future for humanity, China has proposed the practice of new concepts of green development, advocating for green, low-carbon, circular, and sustainable modes of production and life.
In this sense, building a community with a shared future for humanity is closely related to the reconstruction of the Silk Road.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become an important bond connecting different countries, nations, and civilizations. The BRI is a concrete program for building a community with a shared future for humanity and a new paradigm for international cooperation, possessing a strong humanist concern. The BRI serves as an alternative to traditional Western models of aid and cooperation; its emphasis on the real economy transcends the economic cooperation models of the West—particularly the Anglo-Saxon system—which are aimed at financial speculation. The BRI deconstructs the traditional role division between strong and weak nations, giving a voice to the peoples of the Global South who have long been ignored by international regulations. The BRI plays an important role in promoting the process of European integration, especially by highlighting the importance of Central and Eastern European countries, which were once viewed as a "grey space" by the European Union. In Latin America, China is increasingly becoming a new protagonist in promoting regional balance and integrating regional development.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) are two important platforms through which China promotes the Belt and Road Initiative. Established in 2001, the SCO aims to promote regional security cooperation and coordinate the joint combat against the threats of terrorism, separatism, and extremism [9]. The SCO maintains that only by strengthening regional security cooperation and opposing external interference and unilateralism can it promote the peaceful development and common prosperity of all nations. The SCO advocates and practices the "Shanghai Spirit" characterized by "mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development." The "Shanghai Spirit" is a historical continuation of the "Bandung Spirit" [10]. Under the guidance of the "Shanghai Spirit," the SCO has matured day by day, becoming one of the indispensable and important platforms for promoting the BRI and building a community with a shared future for humanity. Established in 2015, the AIIB is the first multilateral financial institution established at China's initiative, aiming to promote infrastructure connectivity in Asia and strengthen regional economic cooperation and development. The AIIB provides countries of the Global South with a new option for low-interest financing for infrastructure investment and financing without attached political conditions.
Q: Since President Xi Jinping proposed the joint construction of a China-Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) community with a shared future in 2014, mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields between China and LAC has flourished. The interests of both sides have become more closely integrated, the concept of a China-LAC community with a shared future has become more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and China-LAC solidarity and mutual trust have reached an unprecedented historical height. What experiences and achievements do you believe have been made in the construction of the China-LAC community with a shared future? What opportunities and challenges does it face?
A: China-LAC relations are undergoing an important historical moment. In 2008, China's first Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean stated that "the Chinese government views its relations with LAC from a strategic height and is committed to establishing and developing a comprehensive cooperative partnership based on equality, mutual benefit, and common development." Subsequently, China successively established "Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships" with Brazil (2012), Peru (2013), Mexico (2013), Argentina (2014), Venezuela (2014), Ecuador (2016), and Chile (2016). This is an all-encompassing cooperative relationship based on the tradition of friendship between states, covering various fields such as politics, culture, trade, finance, science and technology, and military affairs. In 2016, China's second Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean pointed out that "the China-LAC comprehensive cooperative partnership is based on equality and mutual benefit, with common development as its goal." The preamble of the document stated: "The world today is undergoing unprecedented historical changes. Multipolarization and globalization are developing in depth. Safeguarding world peace and promoting common development remain a long and arduous task. We must promote the building of a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at its core and create a community with a shared future for humanity." Promoting the construction of a China-LAC community with a shared future will bring the China-LAC comprehensive cooperative partnership to a new historical height. China has always maintained that all countries, regardless of size, wealth, or strength, are equal members of the international community. The construction of the China-LAC community with a shared future will promote people-to-people connectivity [11] between China and LAC, and the deepening of China-LAC friendship has made an important contribution to the harmonious coexistence of different civilizations in the world.
With the adjustment of the international landscape, China-LAC relations have increasingly become one of the most important bilateral relationships in the international community.
In July 2014, during the first collective meeting between Chinese and LAC leaders, President Xi Jinping proposed a new "1+3+6" cooperation framework. The "1" refers to the China-Latin American and Caribbean Nations Cooperation Plan (2015–2019), which aims to promote the alignment of development strategies between China and LAC. The "3" refers to using trade, investment, and financial cooperation as the three engines to drive pragmatic China-LAC cooperation. The "6" refers to focusing on six major areas—energy and resources, infrastructure construction, agriculture, manufacturing, scientific and technological innovation, and information technology—to advance industrial alignment between China and LAC. At the same time, China actively promoted the creation of the "China-CELAC Forum." In 2015, the first Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum was held in Beijing. In 2018, the second Ministerial Meeting was held in Chile. Through the joint efforts of both sides, every meeting has reached important consensus and action plans. China-LAC relations have made significant progress in politics, economy and trade, and people-to-people exchanges. China and many Latin American countries, such as Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil, have celebrated or are about to welcome the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. In February 2022, during Argentine President Alberto Fernández's visit to China, Argentina became the 21st Latin American country to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with China on jointly building the Belt and Road.
Regarding China's growing regional influence in Latin America, three general views exist among Latin American countries: positive, wait-and-see, and critical. Positive evaluations hold that China is a new major power role, different from previous hegemonic states, and that establishing a good relationship with it helps Latin American countries achieve autonomous development. This requires deepening the understanding of differences between China and LAC, striving to seek the greatest consensus, and actively promoting mutually beneficial cooperation. The resonance of international relations theories between China and LAC and the rich practice of jointly building a community with a shared future fully reflect the significance of deepening China-LAC relations. Those with a wait-and-see attitude believe that the asymmetry in China-LAC economic and trade relations will create a new dependency for Latin America on China; to avoid repeating the historical mistake of dependency [12], Latin American countries should handle their relations with China cautiously. Critical views mainly stem from U.S. instigation and smearing, especially regarding China's political model and the leadership of the Communist Party of China; these people often advocate that a "New Cold War" is inevitable.
Currently, China-LAC relations face at least two major challenges. First, U.S. pressure on Latin American countries in an attempt to limit the development of China-LAC relations. This pressure is unrelated to trade but mainly involves Chinese investment and technical cooperation in Latin America. There are two regions deeply influenced by the U.S. that have close exchanges with China: one is Mexico, located near the Caribbean and Central America, and the other consists of South American countries that receive significant Chinese investment. Many South American countries have established strategic partnerships with China, triggering high levels of concern and unease in Washington. Starting from the Trump administration, the U.S. has attempted to contain China's influence in Latin America, and the Biden administration has also taken action in this increasingly intense confrontation. To respond to the increasingly complex geopolitical game, Latin American scholars have proposed political concepts and theories such as "active non-alignment," "strategic autonomy," and "multiple belonging" to strengthen the autonomy of Latin American countries' decision-making. Second, regional integration organizations in Latin America, especially in South America, are undergoing profound fragmentation, and the consensus on regional solidarity needs to be strengthened. The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) is struggling to restart. Although the Pacific Alliance exists in form, it has lost its previous influence. Despite some promotional measures, member states generally lack political will, and intra-alliance trade continues to decline.
President Xi Jinping's invitation to Latin American countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank provides opportunities for common development. This stands in sharp contrast to the conservative, militaristic image of the United States. The U.S. does not want to see the expansion of China's influence in Latin America and is attempting to rebuild U.S.-LAC mutual trust to restore its declining regional influence.
Under the premise of following existing basic norms of international relations, only a strong 21st-century China can shoulder the mission of the times to improve the world order. As Latin American countries' identification with China's regional role grows daily, China-LAC exchanges have become closer, and multi-level economic, trade, and people-to-people exchanges in various fields have enhanced consensus and mutual trust. Despite pressure from the U.S., the view of China as a regional and global development partner remains mainstream in Latin America, portending a more intensive agenda for China-LAC cooperation in the future.
Q: President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity is not about replacing one system with another, or one civilization with another. Instead, it is about countries with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures, and levels of development sharing interests, rights, and responsibilities in international affairs, forming the greatest common denominator for building a better world." What opportunities and challenges do you believe the current construction of a community with a shared future for humanity faces? What are your expectations and visions for the future of all countries joining hands to build a community with a shared future for humanity?
A: In the process of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the role of the Global South countries is to use their voices to urge international institutions to act in accordance with the aspirations of the world's people. China is the only international actor capable of facilitating this transformation through the construction of a community with a shared future.
The concept of a community with a shared future for humanity, first proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 during his speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, was written into the white paper China’s Peaceful Development. Chapter Three, "Foreign Policies for China's Peaceful Development," states: "China aligns the interests of the Chinese people with the common interests of the people of all countries, expands the convergence of interests with all parties, and establishes and develops communities of interest in different fields and at different levels with various countries and regions, so as to promote the realization of the common interests of all humanity and share the fruits of progress in human civilization." China maintains that peaceful development is a choice in harmony with the global trend. The international community should transcend the outdated "zero-sum game" thinking in international relations, transcend the dangerous Cold War and hot war mentalities, and transcend the old path that has dragged humanity again and again into confrontation and war. We must seek a new situation of exchange and mutual learning among diverse civilizations from the new perspective of a community with a shared future, with the new concepts of "pulling together in the same boat" and win-win cooperation; we must seek new connotations for the common interests and values of humanity, and seek new paths for countries to cooperate in addressing diverse challenges and achieving inclusive development.
In the nearly ten years, international relations have undergone deep adjustments, and the world is experiencing a "global hybrid war." With the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the world seems to have split once again into opposing poles. The concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity attempts to transcend realist theories that represent only the interests of nation-states, proposing a mode of interaction and cooperation based on mutual benefit and win-win results for the international community, steering the international order toward a more fair and just direction. In 2023, with China's promotion, Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations—a result of the close diplomatic dialogue China has conducted with both sides in recent years. This landmark historical event embodies the core values of China's New Security Concept and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), representing China's latest effort to promote the democratization of international relations and establish a new international order. The G7 meeting held in May 2023 demanded that China pressure Russia to withdraw its troops to settle the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while China had already fully articulated twelve suggestions for a peaceful resolution in "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis." This indicates that Northern countries lack sincerity for political dialogue at the global level; they are accustomed to acting willfully, ignoring the demands of the Global South, especially the common aspirations of the people in Southern countries.
Only by taking Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law as a guide, organically integrating the international rule of law with the domestic rule of law, and grasping the internal logic of China's three major global initiatives from a holistic perspective, can one profoundly understand the historical mission and responsibilities undertaken in the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity within the process of economic globalization. The concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity embodies China’s "New Humanism" spirit. China will utilize the power of peace to promote the establishment of a new type of international relations and build a community with a shared future for humanity; it will utilize the Belt and Road Initiative [13] to deepen new cooperative relationships, the Global Security Initiative [14] to practice a new outlook on security, the Global Development Initiative [15] to advance the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Global Civilization Initiative [16] to create a new path for human modernization.
(He Qin, staff reporter for this journal) Source: World Socialism Studies, No. 10, 2023 Editor: Huihui