The main connotations and practical paths of China integrated neighborhood diplomacy from a global perspective

Summary:The surrounding areas have extremely important strategic value for China. The United States has carried out all-round containment of China and implemented a "close and close" strategy around China, posing severe challenges to China's diplomatic work in its neighboring areas. China should carry out integrated neighborhood diplomacy, recreate the international environment around it and counter the "taking sides" diplomatic tactics of the United States. The main connotation of conducting integrated neighborhood diplomacy is to take the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood as the goal, the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative as the practical platform, and the basic policy of being kind and cooperative with neighbors, as well as being friendly, secure and prosperous to neighbors. It adheres to the concepts of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and the correct view of righteousness and interests, and follows the path of peaceful development. The practical path to carry out integrated neighborhood diplomacy is to consolidate strategic mutual trust with neighboring countries and support regional countries to steadily follow development paths with their own characteristics. Handle properly the relationship between taking the path of peaceful development and safeguarding the core interests of the country; Deepen development integration, enhance the level of connectivity and cooperation in the production and supply chain; Manage and control conflicts and differences, carry out security and law enforcement cooperation, and jointly maintain regional stability.

Facing the constantly changing international situation, especially the surrounding international environment, China needs to carry out integrated diplomacy, recreate the surrounding international environment, transform the Party's concepts and policies of surrounding diplomacy into diplomatic actions and achieve greater results.

On April 15, 2025, the President of China Xi Jinping arrived in Kuala Lumpur and paid a state visit to Malaysia at the invitation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, Ibrahim. The picture shows the welcoming crowd.

A Global Perspective: The International Environment Around China

China has a vast territory and a long border. The surrounding areas are an important foundation for achieving development and prosperity, a key point for safeguarding national security, the top priority for managing the overall diplomatic situation, and the key to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China's national interests are directly related to the security, stability and development status of its surrounding areas. The surrounding areas have become strategic Spaces where external and internal forces interweave and interact, and engage in multiple games. They are key regions for China's rise. Therefore, when observing the international environment around China, the relations between China and its neighboring countries should be placed within the perspective of the international pattern and the relations among world powers.

First, the surrounding areas are an important foundation for achieving development and prosperity. Over the past 40-plus years, one of the important diplomatic experiences that has enabled China to achieve such significant development accomplishments is that China's reform and opening up have created a favorable international environment. The favorable international environment in the surrounding areas has played a significant role in promoting China's reform and opening up, and the neighboring countries have reaped huge dividends from China's reform and opening up. Without a favorable surrounding international environment, China's reform and opening up could not have achieved such significant development accomplishments. China's rise requires a favorable surrounding international environment. China's development will also bring more opportunities and impetus to the development and prosperity of neighboring countries.

Second, the surrounding areas are the focus of safeguarding national security. China's surrounding areas are confronted with various challenges such as intensified geopolitical games, unbalanced economic development, and prominent non-traditional security and governance issues. Some countries are stepping up the construction of military alliances that pose a threat to China. The issue on the Korean Peninsula remains complex and tense. After the withdrawal of the US troops, the reconstruction task in Afghanistan is arduous and full of challenges. The situation of drug and arms smuggling around China threatens regional security. Not only that, international terrorism, extreme nationalism and religious extremist forces around China remain important factors undermining regional security and stability. This indicates that the surrounding security environment will have a significant impact on China and should not be taken lightly.

Third, the periphery is the top priority in handling the overall diplomatic situation. At present, China's relations with its neighboring countries are in the best period since modern times, and it has also entered an important stage where the pattern of neighboring countries and the changing world situation are deeply linked. The Communist Party of China has accurately grasped the laws of historical development, conformed to the current trend of world development, safeguarded China's fundamental interests, and explicitly stated that China will unswervingly adhere to the path of peaceful development, develop friendly cooperation with other countries around the world, promote the building of a new type of international relations, deepen and expand the global partnership of equality, openness and peace, and strive to expand the convergence of interests with other countries. In handling relations with major countries, promote coordination and positive interaction among major countries, and facilitate the establishment of a pattern of major country relations featuring peaceful coexistence, overall stability and balanced development. In handling relations with developing countries, we should adhere to the principles of sincerity, amity, friendship and honesty, as well as the correct view of righteousness and interests. We should strengthen unity and cooperation with developing countries and safeguard their interests. However, the primary focus of China's foreign policy still lies in its neighboring countries. That is, based on the concepts and principles of good-neighborliness, security, prosperity, amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and tolerance, and sharing a common destiny, it deepens friendship, mutual trust and integration of interests with neighboring countries. China's neighborhood diplomacy serves the strategic needs of modernization with Chinese characteristics. It takes into account both domestic and international situations and focuses on the two major tasks of development and security. China will continue to join hands with its neighboring countries to create a bright future together.

Fourth, the surrounding areas are the key to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. As humanity enters the 21st century, changes in the world, The Times and history are unfolding in all aspects. Human society is facing unprecedented challenges. The world once again stands at a crossroads in history, and where to go depends on the choices of people of all countries. China has always adhered to the foreign policy purpose of maintaining world peace and promoting common development, and is committed to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. The key regions for building a community with a shared future for mankind are the surrounding areas. Therefore, "We should view the surrounding areas from a global perspective and enhance the sense of responsibility and mission for doing a good job in the surrounding areas."

Fifth, the surrounding areas are important regions for the United States to contain China's rise. When discussing China's relations with neighboring countries, it is difficult to see the essence of the problem without introducing the US factor, because China-Us relations have become a key factor influencing the world situation. The influence of the US factor on China's relations with neighboring countries is particularly evident in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. From a spatial perspective, the United States has been constantly causing trouble around China. Its strategic forces are concentrated in the vicinity of China, conducting all-round containment against China and implementing a "close and pressing" strategy. It has also established a series of "mini-multilateral" mechanisms, such as the "Five Eyes Alliance", the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue", and the "Trilateral Security Partnership among the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia", further strengthening the alliance system in the Indo-Pacific region. The surrounding areas of China are the regions where the interactions between China and the United States are the most concentrated, frequent and complex. One of the tricks the United States uses to contain China is to force its neighboring countries to "take sides". At the Munich Security Conference, then US Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeated the cliched "taking sides" : "In the international system, if you're not at the table, you'll be on the menu." The strategy of the United States to comprehensively encircle China in the surrounding areas during Trump's second term will not change. The "taking sides" tactic of the United States has brought pressure to China's neighboring countries.

Facing these new circumstances and trends, China needs to implement integrated diplomacy in its surrounding areas. On the one hand, cracking the "taking sides" diplomatic tactic of the United States sends a clear signal to China's neighboring countries: We are all in the same boat, and the Asian dining table cannot be overturned by others. On the other hand, it has been declared to neighboring countries that China's rise is not following the old path of expansionism and bullying, but a new one of integration. This is because "the people of Asia expect an open and integrated Asia", and "the people of Asian countries hope to stay away from isolation and achieve integration and accessibility. They hope that all countries will uphold an open spirit and promote policy communication, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds. "Jointly build an Asian community of shared future and a community with a shared future for mankind."

On April 12, 2025, the opening ceremony of Cambodia's National Highway 71C, which was constructed by a Chinese enterprise, was held in Tebon Khmum. The highway, with a total length of 114.9 kilometers, connects Tbankhmon Province and Kampong Cham Province, and is an important part of the highway network in the central and eastern part of Cambodia.

The main connotation of integrated neighborhood diplomacy

After more than ten years of diplomatic practice, the connotation and basic framework of China's integrated neighborhood diplomacy have been presented relatively completely and clearly.

First, goal setting: Building a community with a shared future for the surrounding areas. Building a community with a shared future for the surrounding areas is the embodiment of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind at the regional level. The "Outlook on Neighborhood Foreign Policy" issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in 2023 mentioned the Asian Community with a shared future on multiple occasions. In the process of building a community with a shared future in the surrounding areas, China has also proposed to build two regional communities - the China-Asean Community with a shared future and the China-Central Asia Community with a shared future. In addition, China has proposed building a community with a shared future of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and has established bilateral communities with a shared future with many neighboring countries.

To build a community with a shared future in the surrounding areas, the first step is to do a good job in the major article of the "community of shared interests". After China proposed the "Belt and Road Initiative", it gradually put forward three "communities", namely the community of interests, the community of responsibilities and the community with a shared future. These three "communities" were originally parallel, but later the "community with a shared future" was elevated to a higher position and developed into the "community with a shared future for mankind", paying attention to the destiny of mankind from the philosophical and civilized levels. Pay attention to the common problems faced by humanity. A community with a shared future is the highest-level pursuit. However, a community of interests is the foundation for building a community with a shared future for mankind. Without the multiple embeddings of tangible interests, China and its neighboring countries will lack a solid material foundation. Therefore, "We should carry out cooperation with neighboring countries based on the principle of mutual benefit, weave a closer network of common interests, elevate the integration of mutual interests to a higher level, enable neighboring countries to benefit from our development, and allow our country to also gain benefits and support from the common development of neighboring countries."

Second, the establishment of practical platforms: The Belt and Road Initiative serves as a practical platform for building a community with a shared future in the surrounding areas. From the perspective of China's diplomatic strategic conception, building a community with a shared future for mankind is the strategic goal of China's diplomacy, and the Belt and Road Initiative is a practical platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind as well as for building a community with a shared future in neighboring countries. Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, three progressive "versions" have been formed: The first is the "Five Connections" (policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds); The second is the "Five Roads" (the Road to peace, the Road to prosperity, the Road to Openness, the Road to Innovation, and the Road to civilization); The third is to implement the "Eight Actions" in the next ten years (coordinating the advancement of landmark projects and "small but beautiful" livelihood projects, etc.), which is a rich and developed version of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Third, the development of the basic policy: Adhere to being friendly and cooperative with neighboring countries, and uphold the principles of good neighborhood, security for neighboring countries, and prosperity for neighboring countries. This policy of China's neighborhood diplomacy embodies the essence of integrated diplomacy. The basic policy of China's neighborhood diplomacy must be subordinate to and serve the realization of the "Two Centenary Goals" and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The great process of modernization with Chinese characteristics requires the all-round development of relations with neighboring countries, the continuous consolidation of the foundation of good-neighborly and friendly relations with neighboring countries, and the deepening of mutual cooperation. Neighboring countries cannot be moved away and there is no choice either. China has always had a tradition of long-term good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with neighboring countries. Mutual assistance, inclusiveness and mutual learning are important manifestations of China's handling of relations with neighboring countries. The purpose of China's integrated neighborhood diplomacy is to achieve "neighborly harmony" through "good-neighborliness" and make the relations between these neighboring countries and China more harmonious. From "good-neighborliness" to "neighborly harmony", this is an effect achieved by China's diplomatic strategy towards its neighboring countries. China has achieved "neighborly harmony", which is equivalent to breaking through the encirclement of the United States. When China improves its relations with neighboring countries, the United States will lose the international surrounding environment to contain China.

Fourth, the refinement of the essence: closeness, sincerity, kindness and tolerance. Facing the new changes and trends in the international environment, some neighboring countries of China are in a state of being "close but not intimate". To solve the problem of being "close but not close", the key lies in making efforts on the word "close". To implement the concept of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and tolerance, only through down-to-earth efforts and sustained dedication can it be achieved. This requires China to treat neighboring countries with equality and value emotions, and refrain from doing anything that harms the feelings of neighboring countries. Strengthen face-to-face exchanges with people from neighboring countries, meet frequently, visit each other more often, and do more things that win the hearts of the people and warm their hearts, so as to ensure orderly exchanges among cross-border ethnic groups.

Fifth, the inheritance of the concept of righteousness and profit: Adhere to the correct view of righteousness and profit. Different views on righteousness and profit have different value orientations. The concept of righteousness and profit pursued by China is the correct one, which takes both righteousness and profit into account, prioritizing righteousness as the top priority. Properly handling the relationship between "righteousness" and "profit" is an important part of China's fine traditional culture, that is, taking both righteousness and profit into account and highlighting the value of "righteousness". Adhere to the correct view of righteousness and profit, and pursue both with righteousness taking precedence. Adhere to the correct view of righteousness and profit, and achieve a balance between them. We should be trustworthy, value friendship and righteousness, promote justice and foster moral integrity. The correct view of righteousness and interests is to adhere to the unity of patriotism and internationalism, and the combination of the interests of the Chinese people with the common interests of people of all countries, ultimately achieving positive interaction and mutual benefit and win-win results between China and other countries in the world.

Sixth, confirmation of the path and principles: The path of peaceful development and the principle of peaceful coexistence. Why didn't China follow the old path of colonial plunder but instead blazed a new trail of peaceful development for modernization with Chinese characteristics? This is because the Chinese nation has prominent peace. Advocate coexistence and progress, and oppose forcing others to obey oneself. Advocate maintaining harmony and opposing the law of the jungle. The prominent peacefulness of Chinese civilization is specifically manifested in four aspects: First, China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order; Second, China constantly pursues exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations without engaging in cultural hegemony. Thirdly, China will not impose its own values and political system on others. Fourth, China adheres to cooperation and does not engage in confrontation or form cliques of "factionalism and discrimination". The construction of China's integrated diplomacy prominently reflects the prominent peace nature inherent in Chinese civilization. China conveys a clear concept to the international community, including its neighboring countries, that China's pursuit of a peaceful development path is not just a slogan, but an extension of the historical logic of Chinese civilization, especially the culture of harmony and integration, in handling relations with the outside world in the present era.

The practical path of conducting integrated neighborhood diplomacy

In order to better carry out integrated neighborhood diplomacy and build a neighborhood community with a shared future, China should solidify and densify the diplomatic networks of bilateral and multilateral and neighborhood international organizations, actively build a multi-level neighborhood diplomacy network, and implement multi-level embedding of the interests of relevant parties.

First, it is necessary to consolidate strategic mutual trust with neighboring countries and support regional countries in taking development paths with their own characteristics steadily. In the new era, China has established various types of partnerships with the vast majority of neighboring countries, and political mutual trust has been continuously enhanced. For instance, China and Kazakhstan have committed to further consolidating the China-Kazakhstan permanent and comprehensive strategic partnership at a higher level and promoting the building of a community with a shared future featuring friendship for generations, high mutual trust, sharing weal and woe and shared prosperity. China and Kazakhstan will continue to deepen political mutual trust and increase mutual support on issues related to the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the two countries. China firmly supports the development path independently chosen by Kazakhstan, and Kazakhstan firmly supports the One-China principle. For instance, 2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal. The two sides maintain high-level exchanges, consolidate political mutual trust, deepen and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, and promote continuous new development of China-Nepal relations. Evidently, continuously enhancing political mutual trust between China and its neighboring countries is the prerequisite and guarantee for conducting integrated neighborhood diplomacy. At present, some neighboring countries have problems and difficulties to varying degrees in the fields of peace and development. China needs to play an active and constructive role, work with neighboring countries to eliminate factors that interfere with the development and stability of the region, and ensure the stability, tranquility and prosperity of the region. Strengthening cooperation in the field of humanities is an important aspect of enhancing political mutual trust between countries. Therefore, China should expand exchanges and interactions with neighboring countries, facilitate personnel exchanges, and make efforts in cooperation in areas such as culture, education, and sports. By leveraging the advantages of being a close neighbor in multiple aspects such as cross-border ethnic groups, China should achieve the goal of building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries through means such as exchanges and liaison.

Second, handle properly the relationship between taking the path of peaceful development and safeguarding the core interests of the country. This contains three layers of meaning: First, taking the path of peaceful development is China's strategic choice, but this by no means implies that China will give up its legitimate rights and interests, nor does it mean that China will sacrifice its core national interests. No foreign country should expect us to trade with our core interests, nor should they expect us to swallow the bitter fruit that undermines our sovereignty, security and development interests. Second, China follows the path of peaceful development, and other countries should follow the same path. Only when all countries in the world choose to follow the path of peaceful development can the world talk about common development and countries talk about peaceful coexistence. Third, "China's development will never come at the expense of the interests of other countries. We will never do anything that benefits ourselves at the expense of others or harms our neighbors."

Third, deepen development integration, build a high-level interconnection network, and strengthen cooperation in industrial and supply chains. The material basis of integrated neighborhood diplomacy lies in deepening development integration with neighboring countries, fully leveraging the platform of jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting landmark projects and "small but beautiful" livelihood projects in a coordinated manner, facilitating green development, promoting scientific and technological innovation, supporting people-to-people exchanges, building a clean path, and improving the international cooperation mechanism. Build a high-level interconnection network, further leverage the economic and social benefits of the China-Laos Railway and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and construct the China-Kyrgyzro-Uzbekistan Railway with high quality. Under the framework of the China-Europe Railway Express, focus on unblocking the railway transportation network between China and its neighboring countries. Strengthen industrial chain and supply chain cooperation with neighboring countries. Efforts should be made to promote practical economic cooperation under the framework of building the China-Asean Community with a shared future and the China-Central Asia community with a shared future, extend industrial chains and stabilize supply chains. Against the backdrop of the United States imposing additional tariffs globally, especially using the tariff stick to curb China's development, China and its neighboring countries should enhance the deep integration and stable interconnection of industrial and supply chains.

Fourth, manage conflicts and differences wisely and properly, jointly maintain regional stability, carry out security and law enforcement cooperation, and respond to all kinds of risks and challenges. The "high winds and rough waves" in China's diplomatic environment have already been manifested in the surrounding areas, and there may also be "stormy waves" in the future. Therefore, managing conflicts and differences well is one of the important tasks of China's diplomacy. As a responsible major country, China has the awareness, ability and level to manage and control surrounding issues. China will not follow the old path of new hegemons and old masters in human history. This is determined by the nature of China as a country and by the prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization. China's modernization follows a path of peaceful development. China will not actively create crises or stir up incidents, nor will it aim to weaken strategic rivals by disrupting regions or even the world. China has chosen to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind through peace and cooperation. In terms of the current international environment, China should be adept at managing the various troubles and problems, big and small, created by the United States. In particular, it needs to break through the "small multilateral" mechanisms pieced together by the United States against China, so as to proceed steadily and far in the face of "high winds and rough waves" or even "stormy waves". The resolution and transformation of a series of major international issues in the periphery represent the accumulation of China's efforts to recreate its international environment in the periphery. All these are components of integrated neighborhood diplomacy. Integration and accessibility do not mean blindly compromising and accommodating. Instead, it requires a strong will to act with courage and determination, as well as wise diplomatic means, strategies and the ability to skillfully utilize diplomatic tools.(Xing Guangcheng, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, First-level Researcher at the Institute of Chinese Border Studies, Chinese Academy of Historical Sciences)