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Interview: China's diplomacy more extroverted, confident: EU experts

Xinhua, February 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

As the Chinese leadership has conducted a series of high-level visits to several countries since 2015, some European experts say that the Chinese government seems to push on with a more extroverted and confident diplomacy.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, David Fouquet, senior associate at the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS), said it has been quite noticeable that China has made great efforts to enhance its relations with the European Union (EU) and other partners over the past years, widening the scope of China's diplomatic initiatives.

Fouquet spoke highly of China's proactive attitude toward Sino-EU ties, noting that the Chinese leaders have visited many European countries to convey that China is ready and willing to lend a helping hand for a strong and united Europe.

The expert also praised China's activism in many areas, saying that Chinese diplomacy has been highly effective in the handling of many issues.

The Belt and Road Initiative, for example, could further promote China's relations with the Middle East countries through infrastructure construction, he said.

Gerhard Stahl, professor at Peking University HSBC Business School and at the College of Europe, told Xinhua that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been promoting an "alternative concept of the international order."

The professor noted that the Chinese president has announced new foreign policy initiatives in public for many times over the last three years, stressing that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, or the Chinese Dream, is the central goal of China's politics. That means developing an order that would help China regain its due position on the world stage.

He added that China has launched another positive diplomatic initiative during the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, as the world's second-largest economy has made tangible contributions to the changes in international climate policy.

"This initiative was very positive and very well commented and received by the EU and other international partners. And China wants to be a constructive partner in the elaboration of international agreements," Stahl said. Endi