349 Fernando Delage The Asian strategy of Xi Jinping in Asia of such characteristics;42 the proposal, however, reveals the Chinese capacity for diplomatic initiative, handing over to the United States the responsibility -albeit rhetorical- of avoiding confrontation. Periphery Diplomacy. At the end of 2013, the CCP held a conference to determine the strategic objectives and basic principles of Chinese diplomacy in Asia for subsequent decades. Xi made a direct link between periphery diplomacy and the realisation of the “Chinese Dream”. He urged his country and his neighbours to strive to develop “even better political relations, even more solid economic links, even more far-reaching security cooperation and even closer people-to-people ties”. To this end, he added, neighbouring countries must be treated “as friends and partners, making them feel secure and helping in their development”, creating a web of common interests: “only through the greater integration of the interests of China and its neighbours can they mutually benefit from their development.43 By reiterating the need to be “proactive in the promotion of periphery diplomacy”, one can draw the conclusion that China wants to integrate its neighbours under the umbrella of its leadership, countering the “pivot” of the United States; turning the dream of “a community of common destiny” into reality in Asia, through a pan-Asian regional security plan, deepening the integration and interconnectivity of the Asian economies. The “New Concept of Asian Security”. This was formulated in May 2014 in Shanghai, at the Fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building mea-sures in Asia (CICA). Xi Jinping underpinned the need to adopt a common security perspective with its neighbours: “We need to innovate our security concept, establish a new regional security cooperation architecture and work together to build a shared road for the security of Asia that is win-win to all”. He denounced the strengthening of defensive alliances and all attempts to dominate regional security or interfere with the interests of other countries: “it is up to the people of Asia to manage Asian issues, resolve their problems and defend their security”. In order to do this, he underlined, it is of utmost importance to make progress in economic development and in regional 42 TIEZZI, Shannon. “NSA Susan Rice in China: Rethinking ‘New Type Great Power Relations’”, The Diplomat, 10 September 2014, http://thediplomat.com/2014/09/nsa-susan-rice-in-china-rethinking- new-type-great-power-relations/ (last consultation 15-1-2015). 43 XI Jinping. “Let the Sense of Community of Common Destiny Take Deep Root in Neighbouring Countries”, Remarks at a Conference on the Diplomatic Work with Neighbouring Countries, Beijing, 25 October 2013, http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t1093870.shtml (last consultation 13-11-2014). See also GLASER, Bonnie and PAL, Deep. “China’s Periphery Diplomacy Initiative: Implications for China Neighbors and the United States”, China-US Focus, 7 November 2013, http://www.chinausfocus. com/foreign-policy/chinas-periphery-diplomacy-initiative-implications-for-china-neighbors-and-the- united-states/ (last consultation 15-1-2015). http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee
REVISTA IEEE 5
To see the actual publication please follow the link above