Documentary puts Xi in the spotlight

TV series highlights China's transformation from global player to leader in international affairs

As China prepares for the BRICS Summit in Xiamen next week, analysts say the past few years have marked China's transition from a player in global affairs to a leader of the global agenda.

A six-episode political documentary, Major Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics, started on Aug 28 on China Central Television, with one episode a day showcasing the progress that the nation, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China with President Xi Jinping as the core, has made in diplomacy in the past five years.

It focuses on the new diplomatic concepts, thoughts and strategies put forward by Xi, highlighting the process of China's emergence at the center of the global stage and China's role as a contributor to global peace, development and order, according to Xinhua News Agency.

As Xi put it in his New Year's speech for 2016:"The world is so large, with so many problems. The international community expects to hear China's voice and see China's solution. China should not be absent."

Since he was elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November 2012, Xi has played a proactive role in international affairs and improving global governance. He has visited over 50 countries and met, with hundreds of foreign heads of states, and governments visiting China since then.

Xi presided over the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Beijing meeting in 2014, the G20 Hangzhou Summit last year, and the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in May, charting the course for global growth and navigating world economic recovery.

"All countries should jointly push the establishment of a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation as its core," Xi said in a speech, in March 2013 at a university in Moscow, that was featured in the episode on Aug 28.

The past five years have witnessed China's increasing contributions to world development, especially through the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the BRICS-led New Development Bank.

By linking countries and regions that account for about 60 percent of the world's population and 30 percent of global GDP, the Belt and Road Initiative is a perfect example of China sharing its wisdom and solutions for global growth and governance.

"China's solution is to build a community of a shared future for mankind, and to achieve mutual benefit and mutual sharing," Xi said in a speech at the UN Geneva headquarters in January, also featured in the Aug 28 episode.

At least 68 countries and international organizations have signed agreements with China on Belt and Road cooperation. The trade volume between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes exceeded $3 trillion (2.5 trillion euros; ￡2.3 trillion) between 2014 and 2016, and Chinese investment in these countries surpassed $50 billion.

Through hosting international events such as the G20 Summit last year and the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Beijing has translated the "China solution" into "international practice", says Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies.

"The Major Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics originates from China's strong confidence in its development path," he says.

China has become much more confident on the global stage, says Wang Jiugao, a professor at Peking University's School of Marxism.

"President Xi's words on various occasions show the world that China is open and responsible, willing to work with the world both as a participant and a leader," Wang says.

Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, says the initiative fits well with Xi's vision of a community of a shared future for mankind. "Xi has shown he has what it takes to lead, not just in China but also on the global stage, through the initiative," he says.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Xi said China has made huge contributions to global trade, and its economic development has created immense opportunities for the world.

China's economy expanded by 6.9 percent in the first half of 2017, with consumption and services, together with new innovation-driven economic sectors, taking up larger roles. In light of the strong data and expectations of continued fiscal support, the International Monetary Fund revised China's growth forecast upward in July to 6.7 percent for 2017 and 6.4 percent for 2018.

Robert Kuhn, a China expert from the United States, says the Chinese president is proposing a grand vision of global governance - stressing the strength of stability and the goal of mutual prosperity - with China playing a dramatic new role in seeking global win-win cooperation.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 09/01/2017 page15)