Building Relations with Neighboring Countries Based on Friendship, Good Faith, Mutual Benefit and Inclusiveness
At a symposium on relations with neighboring countries on October 24, 2013, Xi Jinping described China’s neighborhood diplomacy as one rooted in the principles for building strong relations with its neighbors based on friendship, good faith, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.
Friendship involves good-neighborly interactions, mutual support and assistance, and frequent reciprocal visits, and is informed by equality, cultural affinity, and empathy. The more we do to win the hearts and minds of our neighbors, the stronger our ties will become. Strengthened friendship helps us win support for the goals we pursue on the world stage, and enhances our appeal and our influence in world affairs. Good faith is indispensable if we want to work with and win trust from our neighbors. We need more friends and partners. Mutual benefit is the foundation on which China cooperates with its neighbors. It helps strengthen networks for those who share common interests, and enables China and its neighbors to benefit from each other as they pursue their development strategies. Inclusiveness is key to regional cooperation. Underpinned by the belief that the Asia-Pacific region is large enough to accommodate us all, it encourages open-mindedness as we work more proactively towards our shared goals.
The emphasis on friendship, good faith, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness represents the essence of China’s policy of good-neighborliness, as part of China’s peaceful development strategy. It also reflects the fresh thinking on foreign policy of China’s new leadership.
“亲、诚、惠、容”的周边外交理念
2013年10月24日，习近平在周边外交工作座谈会上强调，中国周边外交的基本方针，就是坚持与邻为善、以邻为伴，坚持睦邻、安邻、富邻，突出体现亲、诚、惠、容的理念。亲是指巩固地缘相近、人缘相亲的友好情谊，要坚持睦邻友好、守望相助，讲平等、重感情，常见面、多走动，多做得人心、暖人心的事，使周边国家对我们更友善、更亲近、更认同、更支持，增强亲和力、感召力、影响力。诚是指坚持以诚待人、以信取人的相处之道，要诚心诚意对待周边国家，争取更多朋友和伙伴。惠是指履行惠及周边、互利共赢的合作理念，要本着互惠互利的原则同周边国家开展合作，编织更加紧密的共同利益网络，把双方利益融合提升到更高水平，让周边国家得益于我国发展，使我国也从周边国家共同发展中获得裨益和助力。容是指展示开放包容、求同存异的大国胸怀，要倡导包容的思想，强调亚太之大容得下大家共同发展，以更加开放的胸襟和更加积极的态度促进地区合作。亲、诚、惠、容这“四字箴言”，是新形势下中国坚持走和平发展道路的一份生动宣言，是对多年来中国周边外交实践的一个精辟概括，也反映了中国新一届中央领导集体外交理念的创新发展。