On March 30^th,2019， a seminar “70 Years of New China’s Diplomacy: Achievements, Innovation and Experiences” was jointly hosted by China’s Institute of Diplomatic History, department of policy planning of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, GIIS, department of international relations of GDUFS. Ambassador Du Qiwen, president of China’s Institute of Diplomatic History, and other experts and scholars from department of Policy Planning of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, development planning division of Foreign Affairs Office of Guangdong Province, Tsinghua University, China Foreign Affairs University, Fudan University, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, and GDUFS attended the seminar.

Professor Li Qing from the Collaborative Innovation Center for 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road Studies officiated the morning seminar. Ambassador Du Qiwen, president of China Institute of Diplomatic History summed up the successful experience of New China’s diplomacy over the past 70 years into two major points. First, we have been upholding the Party’s unified leadership over diplomatic work. Second, we have been adhering to the principle of seeking truth from facts, and combining the basic principles of Marxism with Chinese reality, reflecting Chinese characteristics and style. Yu Shunrong, director of development Planning department of Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office extended his congratulations on the seminar, and expounded the efforts made by the Foreign Affairs of Guangdong Province in promoting non-governmental diplomacy. Li Zhongzhou, director of the department of Policy Planning of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made a suggestion for the seminar, requiring that the seminar would be policy-oriented and innovative.

Du Qiwen, Yu Shunrong and Li Zhongzhou Gave an Opening Address, Li Qing officiated at the Seminar

Ambassador Wang Taiping, a senior researcher of China Foundation for International Studies argued that we must establish a correct view of China’s role in foreign relations and develop the philosophy underpinning China’s diplomacy as a major country. Professor Su Changhe from Fudan University said that the success of China’s diplomacy represents the traditional concept of justice and interests for the common good, and we must adhere to the principle of justice in diplomatic politics and abandon the traditional western concept of confrontation and balance. Professor Zhao Kejin from Tsinghua University commented on the diplomatic philosophy of president Xi Jinping, saying that President Xi’s diplomatic philosophy systematically embodies the theory of holism, the theory of the balance of yin and yang, the doctrine of the mean and the theory of action. The proposal of building a community of a shared future for mankind represents the future of mankind, he added. Professor Zhou Fangyin, dean of the department of international relations of GDUFS, mentioned in his speech that China’s neighborhood relations are undergoing a long-term and profound change. He suggested that we should take into consideration the concerns of the neighboring small countries, and focus on communication and implementation of our foreign policy on the basis of existing important ideas, initiatives and formulations in the neighboring region, so as to continue to convey China’s good will and reliable information on international cooperation. Chen Dingding, vice president of the 21^st Century Silk Road Research Institute of Jinan University stated that innovation can exert direct or indirect influence on diplomacy and we should improve the mechanism of innovation and keep the orientation of innovation. Professor Wang Shuchun from GDUFS mainly discussed the 70 years of New China from the perspective of China-Russia strategic partnership, arguing that the rich diplomatic practices between China and Russia require more exploration and theoretical refinement.

Du Qiwen, Wang Taiping, Tang Guoqiang and Xie Bohua Made a Speech

Scholars Made a Speech

Li Zhongzhou, director of the department of policy planning of Ministry of Foreign Affairs presided over the afternoon seminar. Ambassador Tang Guoqiang, a former ambassador to Czech Republic and Norway, a former permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Vienna and other international institutions, made a summary to the eight principles of Deng Xiaoping’s diplomatic philosophy. He further argued that the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by President Xi Jinping is a major innovation of the diplomatic philosophy of New China, which develops the diplomatic theory and practice into a new stage with Chinese characteristics, and enriches and improves Deng Xiaoping’s diplomatic philosophy, and lays a foundation for further innovation of diplomatic philosophy in the future. Professor Zhang Lili from China Foreign Affairs University stated that to safeguard China’s independence and national interests is the core of China’s diplomatic philosophy and meanwhile the basis of leading the peaceful development of the world. Xie Bohua, a former ambassador to Vanuatu, a senior official of ASEM mentioned in his speech since the 18^th National Congress of the CPC, the Party has put forward such important philosophies as establishing strategic fulcrum, putting justice first, and achieving shared benefits through extensive consultation and joint contribution. We should carry on our fine diplomatic tradition and view the changing world from a global, historical and overall perspective. Professor Zheng Qirong from China Foreign Affairs University analyzed the achievements and experiences of 70 years of New China’s diplomacy from the perspective of historical comparison. Mao Ruipeng, secretary general of the center for Theoretical and Practical Studies of Major Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics in Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, summarized and analyzed the experiences and enlightenment of China’s participation in global governance and argued that attention should be paid to the role of international institutions in the development of China’s diplomacy. Professor Chen Hanxi, executive chief editor of Journal of Strategy and Decision-making at GDUFS elaborated the changes in China’s philosophy on how to safeguard national interests and summarized the two fixed mind-sets in diplomacy and their influence on China’s diplomacy. Associate professor Wang Xuedong, executive deputy director of the Center for American Studies at the School of International Relations of Sun Yat-sen University, started his speech with “great changes unseen in a century” and made some assumptions about the future of China’s diplomacy.

Scholars Made a Speech

Ambassador Du Qiwen made a summary to the seminar, saying that this year marks the 70^th anniversary of the founding of New China. It is of great historical and practical significance to hold this seminar at this fresh point in history. The seminar was a successful one, reviewing China’s diplomatic achievements over the past 70 years and having profound discussions and exchanges of views. The era has presented us with a rare historical opportunity in a century, which requires that the theories need to be innovated and policies implemented. It is our new mission to put forward a new diplomatic philosophy with Chinese characteristics.

A Group Photo of the Attenders