Analysis: Six things you need to know about China's diplomacy

To the crucial questions of our times – what kind of world to build and how to build it – China's answer is: building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Striving for this goal, which represents the core tenets of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, has been established as the objective of China's major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

The foundation for this approach was laid at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs held on November 28-29, 2014, where President Xi Jinping first proposed that China must develop a distinctive diplomatic approach befitting its role as a major country.

At the conference, Xi, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that China's diplomacy must demonstrate salient Chinese features, Chinese style and Chinese confidence.

Here are six key things you need to know to better understand China's diplomacy.

1. China promotes a multipolar world and economic globalization.

China has long been promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

China acts in the belief that no country should be on the menu while others sit at the table. All nations, regardless of size or strength, must be ensured equal rights, participation in decision-making, and full roles in the process toward a multipolar world.

To build an orderly multipolar world, Beijing urges all countries to adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and universally recognized basic norms governing international relations. Multipolarity is not meant to be a world of blocs, fragmentation or disarray.

By backing a universally beneficial globalization, China calls for more efforts to both grow the economic pie and share it more fairly. To foster an inclusive globalization, Beijing supports all countries in pursuing development paths suited to their own national conditions.

2. China prioritizes neighborhood in its diplomacy.

Due to its vast territory and long borders, the neighborhood is a priority area in China's overall diplomacy and a crucial link for its efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

China has put forward the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness to guide its diplomacy with neighboring countries, and called for building a community with a shared future among neighboring countries.

Now, it has established the goal of building a community with a shared future with 17 neighboring countries, achieving full coverage of this vision across the Indochina Peninsula and the Central Asia region.

At the Central Conference on Work Related to Neighboring Countries, held from April 8-9, 2025, it was noted China's relations with its neighboring countries are at their best in modern times.

To build a better future with its neighbors, China pursues the Asian security model, which features sharing weal and woe, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and prioritizing dialogue and consultation, a model first proposed at the April conference.

3. China maintains stable ties with major countries.

China's diplomacy aims for maintaining overall stability in relations among major countries, driven by its conviction that these relations directly concern global strategic stability.

The goal of China's efforts is to foster major-country dynamics defined by peaceful coexistence, overall stability and balanced development.

Beijing has deepened the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.

Simultaneously, China has worked to remove disruptions and overcome obstacles, striving for a sound, stable and sustainable growth of the China-U.S. relationship.

Furthermore, China has advanced the building of a China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership with global influence, and actively promoted cooperation with other major emerging countries.

4. China forges unity and collaboration with its fellow developing countries.

As China's natural partners in international affairs, developing countries are at the forefront of China's efforts to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

As the world's largest developing country and an important member of the Global South, China adheres to the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, along with the approach to pursue the greater good and shared interests.

It has been strengthening unity and collaboration with fellow developing countries, and firmly defending the common interests of the developing world.

This has been exemplified, over the past few years in particular, by China's efforts to join hands with Africa in advancing modernization; to work with Latin American and Caribbean countries in launching five programs of solidarity, development, civilization, peace and people-to-people connectivity; to deliver the "eight major cooperation initiatives" and build the "five cooperation frameworks" together with Arab states; and to establish seven cooperation platforms alongside Pacific Island countries.

5. China offers its four global initiatives as public goods for the world.

China provided its four global initiatives – the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), all proposed by Xi – as important public goods for the international community.

The GDI focuses on international cooperation on development, the GSI prioritizes resolving international disputes through dialogue and consultation and the GCI aims at promoting exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.

The GGI has laid out the principles, methods and pathways for reforming the system and institutions of global governance, injecting strong impetus into the efforts to build a more just and equitable global governance system.

6. China strives to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Striving for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity has been established as the noble goal of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

The vision is winning growing understanding and recognition from the international community, and is increasingly becoming a signature public good.

For eight years running, the vision has been incorporated into multiple resolutions of the UN General Assembly, and bilateral and multilateral declarations.

To date, dozens of countries and regions have reached understandings with China on building this vision in various forms. Steady progress has also been made in building this vision in multiple fields, including cyberspace, nuclear safety, health, man and nature, and the oceans.