The Abstracts of Vol.3,2024

Releasing Time：05.27.2024Source：亚非发展研究所英文

Diplomatic Selfconfidence: Logics and Policies of China in its Foreign Affairs

 Li Kaisheng

    Selfconfidence is a key word in understanding China 's diplomacy and its practice. The quality of selfconfidence could be perceived in either investigating the history of China 's foreign relations since 1949 or evaluating the current international environment in China 's policy papers. The principle of self confidence is composed of four pillars: faith in“the four matters of confidence”, based on selfreliance and selfimprovement, aiming at Chinese national rejuvenation and community with a shared future for humankind, and approaches of strategic and historical selfconfidence. Selfconfidence has come into the field of China 's diplomacy because of four deep logics which has been internalized into the governance thinking of CPC: dialectics, macrohistory, subjectivity and evolutionism. China 's foreign policy based on selfconfidence has played the positive important roles in maintaining peace and stability, achieving prosperity and development, and realizing civilization coexistence in the world while facing the tough challenges. Thus, in the present and future, it is the critical to interact with the world more effectively on the basis of the principle of selfconfidence.

Keywords: China 's diplomacy; selfconfidence; strategic selfconfidence; foreign principle; foreign policies

 

The Game between China and the United States: Past, Present, and its Implications for China 's Strategy

 Shi Yinhong

    Over the past 15 years, the primary characteristic of China US relations has been game rather than coordination. The game between the two countries begins on the strategic front, and then unfolds on the four main fronts of strategy, economy and trade, hightech, and ideology. In terms of the overall game between China and the United States, the United States is in a “defensive” strategic posture. The United States believes that its significant advantageous position over the long term has been lost and eroded one after another, with the primary driving force on China 's side. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has gradually become a rapidly rising strong country. The greatly enhanced national strength has strengthened China 's confidence and aspirations. China is making efforts both domestically and internationally to participate or even take a leading role in certain areas of world politics, economy, and global governance, achieving economic and diplomatic advantages in the Asian continent and the developing world, and roughly gaining strategic and military advantages against the United States in the Western Pacific. Furthermore, the ability to control the strategic space between the first and second island chains is increasingly seen as necessary. Reviewing the posture and policies of the three administrations of Obama, Trump and Biden towards China, we should be prepared for possible storms in the future relationship between China and the US..

Keywords:  China US relationship; China US game; strategic game; Chinese strategy; Asia Pacific region; South China Sea

 

Transitioning from a Traditional to a Holistic Approach to National Security: An Analysis of China 's Security Perspective Evolution, Accomplishments, and the Global Agenda

Wang Mingsheng

    Contextualized by the particular chronology of its historical eras and the fabric of its societal milieu, China 's conceptualization of security has traversed an evolutionary trajectory. This passage has seen a marked transition from a conventional outlook underscored by military and political defensibility to an allencompassing nontraditional security framework, integrating facets of economic, cultural, and environmental stewardship. It has culminated in the embodiment of a holistic approach to national security—reflecting a philosophy that is both scientific in its advancement and developmental in nature. This doctrine espouses a vision of security that is holistic, integrative, and systematic, maintaining a dialectic and inclusive stance, premised upon the supremacy of the people 's welfare, and suffused with a perspective that is unreservedly global in scope. The holistic approach to national security surpasses the constraints of both traditional and nontraditional security outlooks by integrating a multiplicity of both conventional and avantgarde security elements. This integration has precipitated monumental developments in the national security enterprise and has catalyzed a holistic enhancement of national security capabilities. Furthermore, it has expanded the horizons of theoretical research and practical exploration within the field of national security. The philosophy of a community with a shared future for mankind fortifies the global discourse of the holistic approach to national security, contributing the Chinese perspective to international dialogues. Concurrently, the Global Security Initiative provides a beacon for the establishment of a collaborative, holistic, cooperative, and sustainable framework for international security cooperation.

Keywords:  security outlook; holistic approach to national security; traditional security outlook; nontraditional security outlook; Global Security Initiative; a community with a shared future for mankind ; National Security Strategy; Global Agenda

 

“Monopoly” and “Sharing”:Divergences of U.S. Extended Nuclear Deterrence in Asia and Europe

Gu Quan

    “Extended nuclear deterrence” has been the basic means of the United States to build and maintain alliances from the Cold War to the present. But its modes of operation can be widely different in terms of regions. Since the late 1950s, the United States has gradually built up a “nuclear sharing” mechanism within NATO to address the “credibility” problem of extended nuclear deterrence in Europe. In contrast, during the same period in East Asia, the U.S. has not introduced a similar program to its two major allies, namely Japan and South Korea, and continued to adhere to the “nuclear monopoly” model. This research argues that “the larger power gap between East Asian allies and the United States” as well as “the lack of major crisis events during the critical periods” are the two main factors preventing the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-South Korea alliances from reaching “nuclear sharing” of NATO style. Of these, the effect of the former factor is more decisive. In addition, the U.S. withdrawal of all landbased tactical nuclear weapons from East Asia at the end of the Cold War completely eliminated the opportunity for Japan and South Korea to pursue “nuclear sharing.” Nevertheless, in the context of global and regional changes, the possibility that the U.S. would significantly change the extended nuclear deterrence mode in East Asia cannot be completely ruled out.

Keywords:  U.S.; US-Japan alliance; US-ROK alliance; European allies; extended nuclear deterrence; nuclear monopoly; nuclear sharing

 

A Review of the Revision, Improvement and Application Perspective of the Law of the People 's Republic of China on the Protection of Marine Environment

Gao Han

    On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its formal implementation,“the Law of the People 's Republic of China on the Protection of Marine Environment” has undergone its second comprehensive revision in 2023. The revision constitutes a comprehensive effort to address the problematic issues existing in the law and at the same time incorporating a wide range of consideration of and practice on China 's efforts in becoming a maritime power and its commitment to the “Maritime Community with a Shared Future”. A number of important revisions have been made, including the introduction of the precautionary principle into the General Provisions of the Law, expanding of the scope of extraterritorial application clause, creatively enriching the provisions on marine ecological protection and other clauses, and active responding to international maritime governance issues. It needs to be pointed out that the implementation of the Law also requires necessary support by other relevant laws and regulations. The revision of this law made important contribution to the reform and creativity of China 's environmental legislation and constitutes an important legal basis for advocating and practicing the “maritime community with a shared future”, as well as active participation in global marine environmental governance.

Keywords: Law on the Protection of Marine Environment;marine environmental protection;

precautionary principle;extraterritorial application of the law;building of a maritime power;maritime community with a shared future

 

The Construction and Practice of the Territorialization of Ocean Space: a Case Study of the U.S. Intervention Activities in the South China Sea  

Zhou Shiyi

    As the connection between the ocean and human beings becomes closer, the need to control human maritime activities has made the practice of “territorialization” of the ocean space an unavoidable trend. The mainstream discourse is shifting from describing the ocean as terra incognita to defending the expansion of public power over maritime areas, and justifying the projection of maritime power and the control of maritime areas. The result of this discourse is a certain degree of “territorialization” of the ocean space, with states gradually controlling ocean space from the perspective of normative functions and projecting public power onto waters beyond territorial waters and jurisdictional waters. By shaping a regional normative order that meets its own interests and in practice strengthening regional military power projection, these two methods of “territorialization” expansion of maritime space outside territorial waters and jurisdictional waters are very clearly reflected in the US intervention activities in the South China Sea. China needs to promote the construction of a more effective ocean governance system, amplifying the discourse of norm shaping and new maritime order construction, for better defending national maritime interests and development interests.

Keywords:  ocean space; territorialization; ocean governance; South China Sea; Code of Conduct; US Coast Guard; intervention activities

 

International Strategic Communication: Japan 's Concepts, Capacity Building, and Enlightenments  

 Wu Xian

    Japan 's approach to constructing international strategic communication focuses on advancing the development of its system and mechanisms, as well as bolstering its communication capabilities. This initiative aims to align more closely with security strategies, augment the nation 's proficiency in public opinion and ideological warfare, protect its national interests, and shape its national image. This, in turn, supports Japan 's valueoriented diplomatic efforts. The cornerstone of Japan's international strategic communication capabilities, communication ecosystem, and the development of its system and mechanisms is the establishment of a contemporary communication framework capable of promoting foreign propaganda expertise, fulfilling the requisites of both governmental and nongovernmental propaganda channels, and expanding its social media presence. This framework is characterized by its extensive, multifaceted, and highly effective collaborative nature, with the Prime Minister 's Office taking the lead and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs playing a dominant role. Japan 's strategy encompasses the strategic use of traditional and new media, as well as cultural symbol systems, to execute targeted, localized, and integrated communication. This approach aims to advocate for Japan 's policy stances and cultural appeal, thereby cultivating a favorable cultural mindset and international public opinion climate for Japan. Japan is actively accelerating the development of its international strategic communication, propelling the evolution of its traditional foreign propaganda towards a more subjectfocused and leading paradigm, and achieving a tripartite transformation that merges foreign propaganda strategy, diplomatic strategy, and national strategy.

Keywords:Japan; International Strategic Communication; communication philosophy; communication system; communication ecology; new media