{"id":30328,"date":"2017-02-01T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T19:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=30328"},"modified":"2017-01-30T12:40:59","modified_gmt":"2017-01-30T01:40:59","slug":"china-want-asia-pacific-security-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/china-want-asia-pacific-security-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"What does China want for Asia\u2013Pacific security in 2017?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Chinese officials have hailed 2016 as a great year for China\u2019s Asia\u2013Pacific policy. On top of all other successes, Beijing defeated a perceived regional attempt to pressure China into accepting the South China Sea arbitration ruling released in July. Then, much to its delight, the new President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, initiated a \u2018pivot\u2019 to China by pursuing a rapprochement with Beijing and by sidelining the arbitration ruling that was the singular achievement of his predecessor. Wang Yi, China\u2019s foreign minister, thus declared<\/a> that the \u2018splendid turnabout\u2019 of China\u2013Philippines relations not only expelled many years of clouds over the relationship, but also eliminated a key obstacle to deepening China\u2019s relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.<\/p>\n

Riding on that positive momentum, China hopes that 2017 will be an even greater year for its Asia\u2013Pacific policy. Beijing will try to seek three main outcomes: further reduce tensions in the South China Sea, repair and improve relations with ASEAN, and prevent the Trump administration from destabilising regional politics to China\u2019s detriment. Those aims are being pursued by Chinese policymakers with great determination. In a clearly coordinated series of steps, China released three key foreign policy statements in a rapid succession in the second week of January.<\/p>\n

On the 10th<\/sup>, vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin published a signed article<\/a> on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs\u2019 website on the topic of China\u2019s Asia\u2013Pacific regional diplomacy. The article claims that China\u2019s regional relations achieved a new step in 2016. In 2017, China will conduct high-level diplomacy and strategic initiatives by focusing on relations with regional countries.<\/p>\n

On the 11th, Beijing released its first ever white paper<\/a> on Asia\u2013Pacific security cooperation\u2014a document of historic significance in Chinese foreign policy. The paper\u2019s intention, according to vice foreign minister Liu during a press briefing<\/a> on the same day, is to help countries fully understand China\u2019s policies for the region and appreciate its desire to pursue security cooperation. In particular, Liu highlighted China\u2019s attempt to achieve \u2018positive interactions\u2019 with regional countries. Beijing respects the traditional influence and the current interests of the United States in the Asia\u2013Pacific, he avowed, and confirmed that China has no intention of replacing Washington as the dominant power in Asia.<\/p>\n

On the 14th, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, China\u2019s top foreign policy official, published a signed article<\/a> on Chinese foreign policy under the guidance of President Xi Jinping\u2019s thinking. Significantly, the article represents the first authoritative articulation of Xi\u2019s \u2018foreign policy thought,\u2019 suggesting that Beijing is systematising and integrating previously discrete elements of Chinese foreign policy since Xi came to power in 2012 into a more coherent whole.<\/p>\n

Indeed, parts of the article read like a blueprint for China\u2019s grand strategy in the Xi era. It describes China\u2019s strategic goals of safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests, creating a more favourable international environment for peaceful development, and maintaining and extending China\u2019s period of development.<\/p>\n

While the article highlights peace, development, cooperation and \u201cwin-win\u201d as the central themes of Chinese foreign policy, it also states that China isn\u2019t afraid of protecting \u2018bottom lines\u2019 in matters concerning China\u2019s core interests, such as Taiwan.<\/p>\n

Not coincidentally, China\u2019s Asia\u2013Pacific white paper, while championing the cause of peace and cooperation, also warns that China will react to countries\u2019 challenges to its sovereignty and maritime interests, such as those in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n

Releasing such high-profile Chinese foreign policy statements over a number of days is unusual in recent times. Beijing may have realised that regional security politics over the past several years have too often focused on maritime disputes and tensions, to the detriment of China\u2019s image and the momentum of regional cooperation. 2016 appeared to be a turning point because China managed to dial down tensions in the South China Sea while improving relations with key ASEAN countries including the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam. 2017 is therefore logically seen as a year of consolidation for the gains made in 2016. In fact, China\u2019s regional environment appears better now than any time since 2009.<\/p>\n

But Chinese officials also recognise that 2017 is going to be a tough year of great uncertainty and volatility. With the Philippines as the 2017 ASEAN chair, no ASEAN country is likely to stoke up tensions in the South China Sea. But the Trump administration has already given many signs<\/a> of a hard-line approach to China, in issues ranging from trade to Taiwan to the South China Sea. That\u2019s the wild card in China\u2019s planned strategy for the Asia\u2013Pacific this year.<\/p>\n

The warning that China won\u2019t shy away from forcefully protecting its core interests is nothing less than a pointed message to Trump. At the same time, Beijing wants to project the image that China, not the United States, is now a more reliable source of stability and prosperity in the region. It hopes that regional countries will receive that message too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chinese officials have hailed 2016 as a great year for China\u2019s Asia\u2013Pacific policy. On top of all other successes, Beijing defeated a perceived regional attempt to pressure China into accepting the South China Sea arbitration …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":417,"featured_media":30343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1829,189,1383,52],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat does China want for Asia\u2013Pacific security in 2017? | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/china-want-asia-pacific-security-2017\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What does China want for Asia\u2013Pacific security in 2017? | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chinese officials have hailed 2016 as a great year for China\u2019s Asia\u2013Pacific policy. 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