Research Professor and Director, Center for Central and East European Studies, Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

CHINA'S NEW ATTEMPTS IN BUILDING A NEW MODEL OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: CHINA-CEE COOPERATION

LIU ZUOKUI

Research Professor and Director, Center for Central and East European Studies, Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Proposed by the Chinese Government, China and 16 Central and East European (CEE) countries jointly launched the framework of 16+1 cooperation in 2012. China has actively practiced the concept of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, putting it into the framework of 16+1 cooperation and making new attempts in constructing a new model of international relations. Over the past five years, the 16+1 cooperation has increasingly matured, accumulating value experience that is worth keeping in the long time to come, that is, first, equal consultation, mutual respect and mutual assistance; second, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation; third, openness and inclusiveness in moving forward together; and fourth, interconnected development, joint contribution and shared benefits.At the Riga Summit, China further practiced the concept of new-model international relations of win-win cooperation, creating for the 16+1 cooperationnew dynamics and a new vision.

NOT EXCLUDING A THIRD PARTY, ACTIVELY PRACTICE THE CONCEPT OF OPENNESS AND INCLUSIVENESS IN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Since its founding in 2012, the framework of 16+1 cooperation has attracted extensive attention, countries and organizations beyond the 16+1 framework such as Greece, Austria, Belarus, Switzerland and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development showing great interest in active participation. To all of the leaders' meetings between China and CEE countries, representatives of the EU bodies have been invited. The attitude of the EU to the 16+1 cooperation has gone through change from skepticism to cooperation, expecting the 16+1 cooperation to become an important platform for China-EU cooperation. At the 3rd China and CEEC leaders' meeting held in Belgrade in 2014, Greece was invited to attend and joined the CEE countries in actively building China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line, whose construction was jointly participated by Greece, Macedonia, Hungary and Serbia. As such, Greece became the first third party beyond the 16+1 framework to“try the never tried before” in the 16+1 cooperation. The 4th China and CEEC leaders' meeting held in Suzhou in 2015 saw Austria and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development attending as invited third parties, further expanding the team of cooperation. As a country belongs to the CEE countries, having considerable influence in the CEE area, Austria is interested in various measures of the 16+1 cooperation and would like to actively participate. As a well-known international development financial institution, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has extensive financial business in the CEE region and has accumulated rich investment experience there, its participation providing China and CEE countries with an opportunity for financial dimension of their cooperation. The 5th China and CEEC leaders' meeting held in Riga in 2016 witnessed the participation of Belarus and Switzerland as observers. Belarus has always played the role of a country of important conjunction on China-Europe Silk Road, being a very important linkage point between Russia and CEE. Switzerland has extensive interest in the CEE region. Since the CEE countries joined the EU in 2004, Switzerland has quickened the pace of its eastward advancement. In the decade between 2004 and 2014, Switzerland had invested and participated in cooperation in over 300 economic, tourism, health and energy projects at a total value of about 1.3Swiss Francs. The participation of Switzerland has also enlarged the scope of 16+1 cooperation.

On the afternoon of November 5, 2016, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attended the 5th Summit ofChina and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) at the National Library of Latvia in Riga. After the meeting, leaders of participating countries witnessed the signing of agreements on the cooperation between China and 16 countries, which cover a wide range of areas including connectivity, industrial capacity, infrastructure, cultural and people-to-people exchange, human resources, and civil aviation. The picture shows Li Keqiang and Prime Minister of Latvia MārisKučinskis inaugurating Sino-CEEF Holding Company Limited.

The process of 16+1 cooperation attests to the fact that the initiative of 16+1 cooperation actively promoted by China is not a close circuit system but a framework for cooperation that is open and inclusive for mutual benefit. As far as various parties are willing and come up with ideas to advance and expand cooperation, China will give support. As proven by practice, the outfit is effective and its influence is on the rise.

APPROPRIATELY RESOLVING DIFFERENCES, UPHOLD THE PRINCIPLE OF WIN-WIN COOPERATION AND MUTUAL LEARNING

There are great differences between the 16 CEE countries with varying interests, as the CEE region itself is not homogeneous. In many of the conferences held by the CEE countries, it is not for the representatives from various countries to seek consensus but to spend valuable time on explaining why they are different, which illustrates the general thinking of the CEE countries that should they be unanimous in views, it would not be necessary for them to sit together talking. The purpose of meeting is to talk about differences.

The heterogeneity of CEE countries at the moment in national conditions, internal politics and foreign policy, a“mosaic” situation or “kaleidoscope”phenomenon that comes as a result of difference in speed of EU integration, namely, some of the countries are EU members whereas others are not, some are members of the Euro zone whereas others are not. As a player that is most deeply involved in the CEE region, the EU has made gigantic endeavors to bring CEE countries into the EU and its integration but ended up only with the above result. From here it can be seen that for the CEE, contradictions and differences are a normal, which even the EU cannot resolve but is in trouble with, contrarily inducing “expansion fatigue”.

In contrast, the framework of 16+1 cooperation handles the issue of heterogeneity among the CEE countries more flexibly, taking win-win cooperation for the lead while shelving differences, standing for harmony in differences, mutual learning and sharing advantages and success stories of one another. An outstanding case in point is that to date the CEE countries have put forward a number of plans to interface with the 16+1 cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative such as the Danube Initiative, the Amber Road and the Three Seas initiative, each having strong points but also weaknesses. The Danube Initiative is more of concern by the CEE countries, emphasizing on developing the Danube waters. The Amber Road is of concern by the Baltic countries, focusing more on trade and connectivity between the Baltic countries. The Three Seas initiative is more of concern by the EU countries in the CEE, giving priority to cooperation in energy, telecommunication and transport integration. However, among those initiatives there are in fact exclusive arrangements, for example the Three Seas initiative virtually excludes Western Balkan countries except Croatia. The Amber Road is in the main an initiative by the Baltic countries and it is difficult for Southeast European countries to have an opportunity to participate. Facing the situation, the Chinese Government has actively promoted the interface between the 16+1 cooperation and the above plans, offering solution to the problems, puttingforward a Chinese plan for “the threesea harbor district cooperation”, integrating and taking reference of the advantageous points and positive factors from all of the initiatives and making up for their shortfalls. It is more extensive than the Danube initiative, adding harbors and docks to cooperation concepts, more plural than the Amber Road, not limiting to regional trade and connectivity, and more inclusive than the Three Seas initiative, including CEE countries outside the EU.

Chinese enterpriseshave made active efforts to promotecooperation with Lithuania's Port of Klaipėda which concerns the issue of freight trains in the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt. It plays a perfect role in connecting shipments sent from China and going by Russia and Belarus with Northern and Western Europe. The picture shows the Port of Klaipėda.

The 16+1 cooperation opens a new era for building a new model of international relations between China and CEE countries, countries of different social systems and cultural traditions and at different stages of development, featuring mutual respect, living together in harmony and winwin cooperation. China's flexible and pragmatic policy meets the aspirations of the CEE countries to independently choose their development path. China works hand in hand with the 16 CEE countries mutually assisting one another and mutually learning from one another, giving a fine, new example of cooperation in international relations.

NOT ENGAGED IN ZERO-SUM GAME, FULLY RESPECT AND ACCOMMODATE CORE INTEREST AND CONCERNS OF PERTINENT PARTIES

The fact that China is engaged in the 16+1 cooperation is neither to rob others of the fruits of their labor nor to be engaged in zero-sum game in geopolitics but to give full considerations to the core interest and concerns of various parties. It is a case in point how to handle relations between the 16+1 cooperation and the EU. In fact, the 16+1 cooperation having helped achieve several interfaces between China and the EU reflects that China pays attention to and respects the core interest of the EU. For instance, China is actively advancing the development of the Budapest-Belgrade Railway link and China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line, linking Europe's North-South communication and promoting connectivity in North-South direction, which happens to be identical with a line of Pan-Europe Corridors advanced by the EU, significantly promoting pragmatic cooperation between China and the EU. Besides, Chinese enterprises actively advance cooperation with the Port of Klaipėda of Lithuania, which involves the issue of scheduled freight trains in building the Silk Road Economic Belt as a key link between the communication line starting in China and going through Central Asia, Russia, Belarus and Port of Klaipėda of Lithuania and shipping to North and West Europe. In sum, the 16+1 cooperation helping promote China-EU cooperation is not an empty word but has produced effects true and fair. It will become a new driving force for China-EU cooperation.

ACTIVELY CREATE A PLATFORM FOR COOPERATION FEATURING JOINT CONTRIBUTION, SHARED BENEFITS AND WIN-WIN SITUATION

In today's world, the shaping of international relations attaches more importance to the creation of “platform”instruments. For instance, the G20, the BRICS cooperation and South-South cooperation, they appear to be a kind of mechanisms but in fact play the role of functional platforms in a larger sense. China's diplomacy also considers platform creation a new measure in promoting a new model of international relations.

In the 16+1 cooperation, the role and consciousness of platform is applied to the full, doing well in pooling together resources, acquiring power of discourse on some major affairs and pulling a crowd. “I set up a platform for all to put up a show”, eventually gathering a brainstorm to provide a powerful source of informationand intellectual support for all parties in search of mutual benefit and win-win situation. Under the major platform of 16+1 cooperation, there are anumber of minor platforms such as the 16+1 tourism promotion body and industrial federation, the 16+1 federation for transport infrastructure cooperation and the 16+1 network for think tank exchange and cooperation, which pool resources and make the 16+1 cooperation more professionalized and more intensive.

China's concept of a new model of international relations puts in the limelight the sound outlook of righteous-ness and benefit for win-win cooperation, actively builds on a new thinking on cooperation for openness and inclusiveness against zero-sum game, and helps establish a development outlook for a new model of international relations that is healthy and uplifting

THE 16+1 COOPERATION FACES CHALLENGES IN THE FUTURE

As all trials are risk ridden, it is particularly so for a new cooperative initiative like the 16+1 cooperation. There will necessarily be a series of challenges, that should be taken precaution of, and that should be made timely responses to.

1. Economic and trade down-turn is not an insignificant challenge to the 16+1 cooperation

It has all along been the core vision of the 16+1 cooperation to take economic, trade and investment cooperation between both sides to a new high. Owing to the impact of the international and domestic situation on each of the parties, such a vision is severely affected. According to the international economic and trade data of China's Ministry of Commerce, between 2012 and 2014, except a small part of the CEE countries including Poland, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, which saw marked growth in economic and trade cooperation with China, most of the CEE countries saw their trade with China in fluctuation with an overall downward trend. Such a downward trend, on the Chinese side, is related both to the policy measures to stabilize growth and readjust economic structure and to price hike for raw materials and semi-products and increase in labor cost which added to competitive pressure on China's export commodities to the CEE countries whereas on the CEE side, it is that due to the impact of economic and financial crisis, their import and export capacity is affected. The effects of the general environment of China-EU relations on China-CEEC cooperation should not be overlooked. The interference of EU's anti-dumping and anti-countervailing investigations constrains and affects sustainable development of China and the CEECs. Another point should not be neglected is that China enjoys an extensive trade surplus with the CEECs, that is rising with some of the countries, arousing serious concerns of the other side from time to time. The media in Poland and the Czech Republicoften use their trade deficit to question if China illicitly countervails its enterprises.

2. Deterioration of regional security situation raises new subject for the 16+1 cooperation

The function of 16+1 cooperation is a little bit too monotonous, and to a degree countries “only talk about business but not politics”. As affected by the Ukrainian crisis, the refugee crisis, threat of terrorism and EU-Russia tension, the regional security situation of CEE has deteriorated. Within the CEE, the Baltic countries and the Black Sea countries are on the frontline of US-Russia and EU-Russia antagonism, with security situation becoming increasingly grave. It is a primary concern for those countries how to deal with all kinds of hidden security threats. The framework of 16+1 cooperation only plays an indirect role in resolving the crises, bilateral cooperation on such high political levels as security having been raised time and again by the CEE side. When the Ukrainian crisis happened, Poland firmly urged all parties concerned to boycott the Russian activities of “invasion” and to uphold the united position of the EU on placing sanctions on Russia. Meanwhile, Poland felt resigned to China not attaching importance to its concerns on the Ukrainian issue.

3. To achieve all round interface still encounters difficulties

Both sides have different understandings of development and driving forces for development. The development sought after by electoral politics without doubt stresses more on employment, social security and sustainability of the model of democratic governance whereas that of China stresses more on economic competitiveness and reorganization of economic resources across the global. The Chinese vision of “seeking development” and the CEECs' practical concerns of “seeking stability” sometimes do not match one another. To date, the strategic or initiative interface emphasized by China remains on an abstract level and it will take time and tactics to dig out points of cooperation to substantiate the abstract. Furthermore, the differences between China and the CEE countries in behaviors and thinking arising from their different social systems make the interface more difficult. On top of that, as some of the CEE countries suffer from unstable governments and all too frequent elections, a change of government also impacts the interface between the two sides.

4. It remains necessary to try to properly handle relations with stakeholders

Central and East Europe is an area with entrenched influence of major countries, where the EU maintains strong economic and rule-based presence, the US maintains military presence (the security framework of NATO). The CEE countries are also considered Germany's “backyard” and traditional sphere of influence. Russia also has important interest concerns in the CEE region. In developing relations with the 16 CEE countries, it still faces difficulties how to properlyhandle relations with the above major countries or organizations. Though the misgivings of the EU about the 16+1 cooperation have been somehow alleviated, it remains problematic how to deal with the limits of EU rules. Besides, to date representatives of the EU bodies have stressed on several occasions that the 16+1 cooperation should continue to increase transparency and that only by so doing can China-EU cooperation be actively promoted. The attitudes of Germany, Russia and even the US are interesting, none of them having taken a clear-cut position. However, it is beyond doubt that they have always exerted important influence on the 16+1 cooperation. It remains a subject needing solution how to expand win-win cooperation with more of the stakeholders.

10.19422/j.cnki.cn10-1398/d.2017.01.012