With the answers China has found in resolving its challenges,the Global Development Initiative,Global Security Initiative,and Global Civilization Initiative have actively responded to the questions posed by the world and the times,establishing the direction for countries worldwide to jointly build a human community with a shared future.This article discusses the historical background,strategic connotations,and philosophies of these three initiatives,offering insight into their holistic approach and development perspective in assessing the world's evolution.Furthermore,these initiatives consider both domestic and international imperatives and ensure security while pursuing development.The strategic thinking that the world should seek sustainable development through cooperation on the basis of civilizations highlights a people-centered orientation;advocates respecting others'interests in the pursuit of one's own and advancing common interests of all;follows a result-oriented approach;promotes win-win collaborations;and emphasizes China's contributions.Finally,the author proposes strategic pathways for implementing these global initiatives:namely,devising strategies centered on development;enhancing reciprocal learning between civilizations;avoiding excessive securitization;upholding the principle of extensive consultation,joint contribution,and shared costs and benefits;and demonstrating China's sense of duty as a major country through pragmatic actions.
In May 2022,Japan announced that it would join the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework(IPEF),which aims to expand its economic diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region,ensure the stability of the supply chain of important commodities,safeguard national security and achieve the digital transformation of society.Although Japan may gain short-term benefits by deepening cooperation with IPEF members,the IPEF is essentially an economic cooperation established by the United States based on geopolitics.Therefore,in the long run,Japan's entry into the IPEF will not only hinder China's regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region,occupy China's share of global import and export trade,intensify the competition in the infrastructure field of the Belt and Road Initiative,but also may delay the Asia-Pacific regional economic integration process,which is not conducive to the recovery of the world economy.In view of this,China should study the impact of Japan's accession to the IPEF on China,build a more resilient global supply chain,develop the digital economy,accelerate the pace of joining the CPTPP,and promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Recent years have seen changes of Iran's foreign policy after Raisi became president including further de-escalation with neighboring countries,more resolute implementation of"look East"strategy,enhancing relations with anti-American countries and rationally distancing away from the West.Conservative turning as a result of pressures from US Trump and Biden administrations,together with Ibrahim Raisi's personal conservative approach,has made Raisi's foreign policy more conservative.Besides,the necessity of enhancing political legitimacy by economic growth,together with the pressure of improving people's livelihood,has made Iran foreign policy more pragmatic.While conservativism was the framework,pragmaticism was an inevitable choice.Raisi's conservative and pragmatic policy has served to maintain domestic stability at diplomatic level in turmoil years,has contributed to the great de-escalation of tensions in the region,and has facilitated the change of international configuration in the Middle East.
In recent years,the Russian private military security services industry has grown to meet the needs of corporate clients and the government.Although modeled on their Western counterparts,the private military security companies in Russia are unique,not limited by international law on mercenaries,and are rarely prosecuted under domestic law.As a result,it has the flexibility and secrecy that traditional diplomatic tools do not possess,and can serve as a quasi agent of the Russian government to participate in combat operations outside its borders in the"gray zone,"without incurring a country's responsibility.In foreign affairs,the Russian government can use private military security companies to achieve limited goals without direct military conflicts with Western countries,and can also use them to expand geopolitical influence in the conflicts in some developing countries.However,due to the lack of domestic legislation and weak regulation,the Russian government faces a series of problems when using private military security companies in foreign military operations.
Diplomatic narrative is an important component of diplomatic strategy,which is related to the shaping,dissemination,and maintenance of a country's international reputation.Faced with the negative international reputation of the United States left behind by the Trump administration,the Biden administration has created a new international image of the United States as a"group compliant"country with a personified diplomatic narrative of"America is back."It has actively repaired its relationship with European allies using a relatively warm and positive diplomatic narrative,reconstructed the diplomatic narrative of the United States'participation in global climate change governance,and laid a solid foundation for repairing the international reputation of the United States.The early diplomatic narrative innovation of the Biden administration achieved significant results in repairing the international reputation of the United States,but ultimately failed to break away from the previous routine of"opening high and walking low."Due to the inherent shortcomings of the Biden administration's diplomatic narrative,the position anxiety caused by the relative decline in US power the sustained polarization of domestic politics and the prevalence of"veto style politics,"the prospect of American political elites using diplomatic narratives to repair America's international reputation is not optimistic.
