Lead: the CPC travels the road of major party diplomacy with Chinese characteristics

On December 1, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC, delivered a keynote speech entitled “Working together toward a community with a shared future for mankind and a better world” at the opening ceremony of the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting held in Beijing.

Xi emphasized in the speech that political parties should consciously shoulder the mission of the times, develop a new model of party-to-party relations, in which political parties seek common ground while shelving differences, and respect and learn from one another. Also, political parties of different countries should work together for an international network of cooperation and exchange in various forms and at multiple levels, so as to generate momentum for building a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.

Xi noted that, as a party that strives for the human progress, the CPC will continue to make its contribution to upholding world peace and boosting common development and mutual exchanges.

The future of the CPC has been high on the international agenda since the opening of its 19th National Congress. There is much speculation on how China will manage its relations with the world.

Xi’s keynote speech offers promising prospects of a community with a shared future. It highlights how the CPC sees it role in responding to the call of the times and the global responsibilities it shoulders.

This high-level dialogue in China is the fruit of the CPC’s proactive engagement and communication with political parties all around the world. It demonstrates that the CPC is becoming more confident, more active, more open and more inclusive in the world arena, and that the CPC is now firmly on the road of major party diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

Seeking Common Ground while Narrowing Differences

While we all share the same planet, it is natural that different people from different countries have different views. So how should we manage these differences and deal with diversity?

History teaches us that conflict and war lead to nightmare; only dialogue and cooperation bring hope. In the his speech, Xi elucidated the initiative of building a community with a shared future for mankind, highlighted the common cultural genes that the world shares, and emphasized a principle of ancient Chinese wisdom – seeking common ground while shelving and narrowing differences.

The idea of a community of a shared future for mankind, as Xi sees it, is a legacy of the Chinese axiom that when the great way prevails, the world is equally shared by all. For the time being, the fate and the future of all nations and countries on earth are closely related, hence we should strive to build the planet that we inhabit one big harmonious family, in which we will work together to overcome our setbacks and enjoy our successes, and strive to make the dream of a better life for the people come true.

This is Xi’s definition of a better world, rooted in the essence of Chinese culture.

In his eyes, creating a better world means building a community with a shared future for mankind. This will be a world free from fear and sharing universal security; a world free from poverty and sharing common prosperity; a world free from locked gates and sharing open doors and inclusiveness; a world that is always clean and beautiful.

This creative transformation of China’s ancient wisdom is also an innovative process of blending Chinese and foreign cultures, which makes the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind more practical, understandable and attractive.
Nearly 300 among thousands of political parties from all over the world –each with its own political stance and viewpoint – gathered together in Beijing. Under the overall theme of building a community with a shared future for mankind, they engaged in open-minded dialogue and exchanged ideas that reach beyond the boundaries of time and space.

Sharing is the Key

Why does the idea of a community with shared future for mankind enjoy such great attraction and popularity? The answer lies in its idea of sharing.

Egoism has haunted humanity like a ghost for centuries. From the xenophobic mentality of ancient times to the colonialism and racism of modern times, from the hegemony of “winner takes all” to every manifestation of protectionism after the Cold War, this mindset of monopolizing resources, factors and opportunities, leaves no space for sharing.

However, as history shows, demise always follows seclusion, and blind xenophobic views prove to be a deadly form of arrogance. Whether it be a country, a political party, or even an individual, without learning to progress in openness and move forward through exchanges, all are doomed to wither however strong their military power and enormous their wealth.

The rise and fall of the ancient Roman Empire, the successes and failures of major powers in modern times, and the merging and secession of countries that has taken place since the days of the Xia-Shang-Zhou kingdoms, all demonstrate the rule of historical progress. They inspire us to set lofty goals and shoulder responsibilities; to focus on our own nations and also the wider world; to grasp the overall situation and develop broad vision; to shoulder the mission of the times proactively.

The lofty and responsible idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind is part of China’s great vision.
The key to it all is sharing, which blows a strong wind of altruism over this egoistic mentality, and provides prospects of a better share for the underdogs in the process of globalization which progresses in accordance with natural selection.

It aims to implant the idea of sharing and altruism in this globalized and interconnected community, uniting people of different nations, with different beliefs, sharing different cultures, from different places, bringing them together to reach common consensus and create a better world.

From the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, to the promising prospects presented by a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi’s world views offer new hope to all.

The CPC is not a Party that Seeks Hegemony

As a major political party with more than 80 million members, the CPC carries strong influence.
Since its establishment, the CPC has striven not only on behalf of the people of China, but also for peoples throughout the world.

However, the CPC will never force other parties to do its bidding. Xi emphasized in his speech that China will neither import foreign countries’ development models nor try to export its own model to other nations. We will not ask other countries to copy the Chinese practice, either.

As a responsible major power, the CPC is certainly not a party that seeks hegemony.

The nature of globalization is changing with each passing day. In the past, Western developed countries have proclaimed their so-called “responsibility to protect”. They believe that countries and the international community should take on this duty, but they have never mentioned the international responsibilities that political parties should take on.

Xi emphasized that the international responsibility of political parties is an innovation and progression from the protective responsibility of countries. He clearly explained the international responsibilities that the CPC shoulders.

He pledged that the CPC will continue to contribute to safeguarding global peace and stability, pursuing happiness for people around the world, and boosting cultural exchanges among different civilizations.

It is easy to see why Xi put more emphasis on the political guidance the CPC provides and the international responsibility it shoulders. As a responsible party, the CPC should not only listen to and work for the will of its people, but should also guide their will so as to be a genuinely responsible political party that achieves real results.

The CPC is willing to work with other political parties around the world to keep expanding the “circle of friendship” and developing a new model of party-to-party relations, in which political parties seek common ground while shelving differences, and respect and learn from one another.

Becoming a major party that undertakes leadership responsibility is the duty of the CPC, and the historic mission that this, the biggest political party in the world, should shoulder.

Zhao Kejin, professor and deputy dean of School of Social Science, Tsinghua University