The multilateralism China upholds is more about cooperation, while the U.S.'s version also includes competition, said Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University and secretary-general of the World Peace Forum, during an exclusive interview with CGTN on Sunday when discussing about the fundamental differences between multilateralism proposed by China and the one by the U.S.

The interview was taken at the sidelines of the 9th World Peace Forum. Themed "International Security Cooperation in the Post-Pandemic Era: Upholding and Practicing Multilateralism," the forum was hosted by Tsinghua University with more than 100 scholars from 12 countries, former senior officials from countries and international organizations as well as diplomats participating online and offline.

Yan, the forum's chief, shared his views on multilateralism and China-U.S. relations, suggesting that the two countries take the U.S.-Russia Presidential Joint Statement on Strategic Stability, released in June, as a viable template to draw a bottom line for bilateral relations.

Inclusive cooperation or exclusive cooperation

Yan said one of the differences between China and the U.S. lies in their definition of multilateralism.

Despite the U.S.'s call for multilateralism after President Joe Biden took office, multilateralism under Biden's administration is a "club multilateralism" or "exclusive cooperation" that entails the U.S. cooperating with other countries against some countries, he said.

"When China uses the term multilateralism, it means cooperation. And when U.S. uses the term multilateralism, it means to cooperate with some countries against the other group of countries or another country."

He said the multilateralism China upholds is "true multilateralism," which echoed Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's speech.

He also mentioned confusion regarding the function of multilateralism in a time when the international community faces global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, and attributes those factors as the reasons that multilateralism no longer plays the traditional role that it used to.

Bottom line awareness

Although the major topic of the forum is on multilateralism and international cooperation, the bilateral relationship between China and the U.S. was unarguably one of the most popular agendas during the three-day event.

Politicians and experts may disagree on certain topics, but they all agree that the development of China-U.S. relations can affect the international order and are thus essential to global stability.

Yan is not an exception. The Chinese scholar hopes the China and the U.S. can draw a bottom line for their bilateral relationship and discuss more about the character of their relationship so as to avoid strategic misjudgment and drive the relationship out of dangerous waters.

He mentioned the joint statement reached between the U.S. and Russia, saying it is "crucial" to the relationship between the two countries as it draws a bottom line which can effectively prevent "their deteriorated relationship go down to the disaster," which, in Yan's opinion, refers to war.

"We should consider whether China and the U.S. need something similar like that," said Yan. "If we don't draw a bottom line, how can we prevent China-U.S. relations from escalating into war? This is a very crucial and realistic issue we have to face."

Yan also hopes the two sides could reach a shared view of the definition on China-U.S. relations so as to prevent the bilateral relationship from deteriorating.

(Video made by Zhang Ning)