603 Georgina Higueras Spain-China, ten years of strategic partnership organisations: the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the African Union (AU). THE PRINCIPLES OF CHINA’S FOREIGN POLICY The principles of China’s foreign policy have basically remained unchanged since their inception, and the ultimate goal is the consolidation of the Chinese state. Policy is based on three principles: 1) Maintaining the power of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). 2) Defending its territorial integrity, which, with the principle “One country, two systems” facilitated the recovery of Hong Kong and Macau in 1997 and 1999. This principle includes the only “One China” framework, which considers Taiwan an inalienable part of China and hopes for a reunification, rejects outright all support for separatist movements in Xinjiang and Tibet and impedes the recognition of the exiled Dalai Lama and Tibetan government. 3) The quest for prestige and reputation in the eyes of the international community. After the Kosovo War, and with annual economic growth of 10%, Beijing saw the unlimited power of the US as a threat to its interests, including reunification with Taiwan and its establishment as a superpower, which would explain China’s unconditional commitment to multipolarity”.7 Furthermore, the country’s foreign policy, one of the most centralised and least transparent areas, had been affected by decentralisation, the opening up policy and the absence of a charismatic leader with the authority of Mao or Deng. In addition, new actors were emerging, such as the defence industry, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the provincial authorities, who up to this point had played only a minor role in decision-making in diplomacy”.8 And therefore it used economic growth to reinforce the perception of national security. In 1997, China’s Foreign Minister Qian Qichen presented the four general lines of China’s new concept of security and diplomacy for the post-Cold War era to the UN General Assembly: 1. 1. Security systems based on military alliances and arms competition have been unable to ensure peace. 2. 2. Relations between states should be based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty; mutual 7 BRITTINGHAM, Michael A.: “China’s contested rise: Sino-U.S. relations” in GUO Sujian and HUA Shiping (edit) New Dimension of Chinese Foreign Policy, Lexington Books, 2007, pp. 100. 8 Lu Ning: The Dynamics of Foreign Policy Decision Making in China, USA, Westview Press, 1997, Second Edition, pp. 3-5. http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee
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