Pundits weigh in on China's foreign policy in 2017

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By CGTN's Zhang Lei

In a media briefing during the Two Sessions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asserted this week that China would do its best to keep the world on an even keel through dialogue and partnership, and finely tune China's foreign policy for better global governance.

Speaking on CGTN's World Insight program, Da Wei from the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, noted the new characteristics of China’s foreign policy which set it apart from that of other countries, seeking to replace alliances with partnership and replacing confrontation with dialogues.

Wang Yi's comments at his press conference also showed that China wanted to be on the side of peace and justice, ‍and wanted to become part of a solution unlike previously when it was seen as part of the problem on security, climate change and poverty alleviation, added Cheng Li from the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC .

Wang said this week that China would do its part to be an anchor of international stability, an engine of global growth, a champion of peace and development, and a contributor to global governance.

But China’s identity on the global stage has been changing. The world's largest emerging market, it is also the second largest economy globally. So what is China’s role now?

For Cheng Li, “China now has dual identities both as the second largest economy and the largest developing country. The nature of the dual economy needs China to be more sensitive to other countries’ concerns.” He added that while China was moving up the value chain, it could also provide more opportunities for south-south cooperation. ‍

As China changes, so is the style of its top diplomats. During the briefing at the Two Sessions, Wang Yi adopted a more easy-going and interactive approach towards media, showing a more media-friendly approach by the government, said Da Wei.

With a finely tuned foreign policy, can we say China has grown more adept and sophisticated in shaking hands with the rest of the world?