China pursues no hegemony

The second white paper on peaceful development reflects China's strategic commitment to a world of mutual benefit

The post-crisis world has been undergoing a comprehensive readjustment and deep transformation. While the bigger developed economies such as the United States, the European Union and Japan were afflicted by the three highs of unemployment, deficit and debt and the three lows of growth, savings and consumption, China's stable growth and the success of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games and 2010 Shanghai World Expo highlight its rapid emergence. Against this background, the outside world, neighboring countries in particular, have become increasingly concerned about whether China will give up its diplomatic line of keeping a low profile, taoguang yanghui, and forego its peaceful development. The new white paper aims to alleviate their anxieties.

The white paper elaborates that peaceful development is a long-term strategic choice the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese government and the Chinese people have made based on their observations and understanding of the world. There exists a general consensus in China that globalization has made the interdependence among nations so deep that no single country can develop in isolation, nor seek self-interest at the expense of others. Most Chinese believe that peace has been a precondition for the economic miracle the country has achieved over the past three decades. Such an interdependent world means there is less and less room for colonialist aggression or imperialist policies. It is a trend of the times to seek development in a peaceful environment in a peaceful way. Only by insisting on peaceful development can a country realize the opportunities for development and remain competitive. In fact, most countries have put long-term and lasting development at the top of their strategic priorities, competing with each other peacefully. In other words, China is not in isolation on the road of peaceful development.