Viewpoints
Strengthening the people-to-people exchange between China and foreign countries means pushing forward open-up in all respects
Han Fangming • 1 •
People-to-people exchange not only has become a pivotal pillar of China’s diplomacy, but also belongs to an important component of Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. People-to- people exchange is the stepping stone for handling international relations through diplomacy. Creative high-level people-to-people exchange mechanism, which focuses on politician’s diplomacy, should instead focus more on the extension of the people-to-people exchange between China and foreign countries to social organizations and economic and cultural entities including politicians, government departments, think-tanks, and even denizens, and should pay more attention to employ the spontaneity and potential of the society.
Special topics
Globalization and the Belt and Road Initiative
Leading a new type of globalization through the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative
Zhao Minghao • 4 •
Since the financial crisis in 2018, globalization has entered into a period of downturns. Facing anti-globalization in recent years, China insists that the general trend of globalization will not change, and the Belt and Road Initiative is a conceptual construction and policy response of China to a new type of globalization. As Andrew Elek, a scholar at the public policy research institute of the Australia National University points out, it is becoming more difficult to impair the traditional trade barriers, and the Belt and Road Initiative focuses on bridging the gaps of infrastructures such as transport and telecommunication of each and every country. By doing this, impediments of supply chain will be reduced. Cooperation in infrastructure and ability to construct is a “positive- sum game”. The Belt and Road Initiative can push forward relevant countries to “promote the integration of world economy through a creative new method”.
“Seasonal wind plan”: India’s encirclement on the Belt and Road Initiative in cultural diplomacy
Wang Yuan • 10 •
Since the 21st century, India has shown great developments in economic and commerce, diplomacy, and security and its power has significantly increased. Following the proposal of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, India, as an important country in the “Maritime Silk Road” radiation circle, to respond to the emergence of its neighbor and multiple changes to Asia-Pacific situation, promoted relevant adjustments on geographical range and strategic topics. “Seasonal wind plan”, the soft power strategy of the Modi administration, is a demonstration of India employing cultural diplomacy to push forward its regional and strategic goals.
India’s “Seasonal Wind Plan” and China’s “Maritime Silk Road” have a great number of overlaps in strategic and spacial scope, and in strategic meaning. According to the analysis of present strategic situation between China and India, “Seasonal Wind Plan” will certainly pin down the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Anti-globalization trend of thought and Australia’s exclusion of the Belt and Road Initiative
Li Yang, Wu Minghua • 16 •
The fact that West including Australia has been under the shadow of the dark cloud of anti-globalization trend of thought recently has become one of the major obstacles of the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. On one hand, Trump’s moves as an American president impelled Australia to doubt its alliance’s reliance. On the other hand, Australia is still not psychologically prepared to accept China fully. This paradoxical feeling and attitude serves as the psychological basis of Australia’s policy on China, and mainly explains Australia’s distance from the Belt and Road Initiative. Increases in anti-globalization trend of thought greatly caused changes to Australia’s internal policy and diplomacy that are profoundly visible in the country’s party politics, foreign policy, defense policy, and regional policy.
