Q5: Given the US pivot to the Asia-Pacific and its rebalancing strategy, how should Beijing and Washington deal with their own interests while cooperating with other countries in the region? How can China meet the challenge?
A: The US pivot to Asia, or the rebalancing strategy, was brought up four years ago. In the beginning the emphasis was on the military aspect. Then they said it's not right to overemphasize military aspect. Economy is very important.
Apparently it is not a well thought-out strategy. The center of gravity of the international relations is moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This process is far from over. It is understandable that the US, as the only superpower, would follow the power shift and give more importance to Asia.
Where do we go from here? It depends not only on the US, but also on Asia. It is true that some people in America want to contain China. But as far as I can see, this is not Obama administration's policy.
In June, 2013, President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama had an informal summit in California. The two leaders agreed to build a new model for major power relations. It means, as President Xi Jinping put it, "non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and collaboration to achieve win-win cooperation". This is good news not only for China and the US, but also for the rest of the world.
Q6: What would be the cost of confrontation, for example, between China and Japan, or China and the Philippines?
A: Talking about the relations with our neighbors, the Chinese side said over and over again that "cooperation makes two sides winners, confrontation makes two sides losers". This is true.
At the height of the tension, some people said confrontation is affordable. But do they calculate the cost of the confrontation? Do they want an everybody-is-a-loser situation to persist?
It is true that we have territorial dispute with our neighbors. But territorial dispute is not the whole picture of our relationship. The relationship between China and its neighboring countries has developed enormously in the past 30 years, creating huge common interests which have every reason to be preserved.
Q7: What are the chances of easing tensions between China and Japan, if Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continues to follow his current policies?
A: I think what Shinzo Abe did is not accidental, but has a complicated background.
After Japan's economic bubble burst in the 1990s, the country was trapped by economic stagnation. Japan has elected seven prime ministers in six years. Under such circumstances, Abe is flying the banner of nationalism to fan public passions and shore up his public image.
Nationalism has two components. One is loving one's own country, which has nothing wrong. The second is xenophobia, to reject others. Abe's nationalism has alarmed not only China, but everybody else, including the US. Abe's counter-China policies hurt not only China's interests but also the interests of Japan itself. He will not go far. Ties between the Chinese and Japanese people and economic cooperation between the two countries should be not only maintained, but also developed further.
Q8: Do you think the nationalistic mood among some of the Chinese has influenced China's diplomatic work?
A: Nationalism and populism have been spreading in the world in recent years, including in China.
Populism means to deliver speeches solely to please some people and win their support, instead of being cool-headed and taking nation's long-term interest into account. The combination of nationalism and populism is highly dangerous, because it may lead politicians to be hijacked by nationalism.
We realize that in the 21st century, China's most important interest is to maintain development momentum. We have gathered such a momentum for the first time since Opium War of 1840. To maintain the development momentum, we need to preserve opening-up momentum and international cooperation momentum. China's development needs the world. World prosperity and stability need China. China has been always vigilant about nationalism.
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