China’s Efforts to Build a Community with a Shared Future in the Neighborhood from the Perspective of Major-country Competition

Zhou Fangyin

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China， China has proposed and actively acted on the important vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. In October 2013， President Xi Jinping put forward that “the building of a community with a shared future should be advanced in Chinas neighboring countries”. The years afterwards have witnessed fruitful outcomes in this effort. Upon the backdrop of the intensified strategic competition among major countries in recent years， Chinas neighborhood has undergone drastic and complex changes. These changes have， to some extent， posed many challenges to the community-building efforts and thereby affected the approaches， methods and directions of building a community with a shared future in the neighborhood.

New Changes in Chinas Neighborhood Against the Background of Major-Country Competition

In recent years， Chinas neighborhood has witnessed the following changes. First， using Chinas neighborhood as key regions， the United States intensifies its efforts to suppress， block and contain China. The US forcefully advances its “Indo-Pacific Strategy”， elevates the level of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue （QUAD）， enhances security cooperation among the US， Japan， India， and Australia， and leverages on the QUAD security cooperation to shift the policy orientations of Chinas neighboring countries， especially South Korea and Southeast Asian countries， thus beefing up strategic containment of China in the field of security. The US has also launched the “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework” （IPEF） and the “Chip4” among other mechanisms in an attempt to make economic and trade rules and shut out China in the high-tech industrial chains. In the field of security， the US continues to consolidate its dominated alliances and blocs， create economic and technological mechanisms and organizations that exclude China， thwart Chinas normal economic cooperation with neighboring countries following the basic economic logic， and put countries under unrelenting pressure in the field of security.

Second， the Ukraine crisis has sent geopolitical shocks to Chinas neighborhood. The Ukraine crisis has been dragging on for over a year since it erupted in February 2022 and is likely to continue， escalating and deescalating from time to time， for a longer period of time， with no prospect of a fundamental solution in the short term. The impacts of the Ukraine crisis are seen in the political， economic， and security rivalry between the Russian side and the side of the US and Europe， with ripple effects on international organizations and mechanisms such as the United Nations， the G20 and the East Asia Summit. Such rivalry across the board between Russia and the US and Europe has exerted tremendous impacts on international strategic relations and the stability of international order. These impacts are also felt in Chinas neighboring countries. According to a survey report released by the Yusof Ishak Institute based in Singapore in February 2023， 82.9% of Southeast Asian respondents are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” over the Ukraine crisis. As to the most serious impact of the Ukraine crisis on Southeast Asia， 58.3% of respondents hold that the crisis increases energy and food prices， 25.9% of respondents think that it erodes trust in a rules-based order and violates national sovereignty， and 5.2% of respondents believe that it worsens tensions between China and US.

Third， the international economic situation is facing considerable uncertainty. Since 2020， the world economy has suffered multiple shocks. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis have led to volatile fluctuations in energy prices and unstable food supply. The US-provoked trade war and tech war against China and the Federal Reserves aggressive interest rate hikes have affected many countries both economically and socially. Some countries have experienced capital outflows， currency depreciation and even riots. The instability of the international economic landscape and the uncertainty of financial markets are global events. Chinas neighboring countries， which are not immune to the global impacts， suffer exacerbating economic challenges that may further escalate into political and social instability. For example， since 2022， Sri Lanka and Pakistan have undergone turbulence to varying degrees.

The Challenges to the Building of a Community with a Shared Future in Chinas Neighborhood

As major power relations adjust and the situation in Chinas neighborhood changes， they produce knock-on effects on the relations between China and its neighboring countries and further on the external environment and regional conditions for the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood. In the future， the community-building efforts will face the following difficulties and challenges.

First， it is difficult to address certain structural issues between China and some neighboring countries in the short term. With instigation of extraterritorial powers and changes in the political arena of neighboring countries， we cannot rule out the phased and complicated evolution of such issues as the South China Sea， the Diaoyu Island and the China-India boundary disputes. The lasting existence of multiple hot-spot issues is a long-term reality in Chinas neighborhood. A realistic concern to be dealt with in the process of building a community with a shared future in the neighborhood is， on the one hand， to intensify effective control over hot-spot issues against such a background， and on the other hand， to relentlessly push forward cooperations with relevant countries in an effort to reduce the interference of hot-spot issues on the building of a community with a shared future， is a practical problem that needs to be solved in the process of promoting the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood.

Second， the US has set up obstacles for Chinas efforts to advance the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood， which is demonstrated in multiple aspects. To start with， the US transmits the pressure of its strategic competition with China onto Chinas neighboring regions， which， to some extent， brings Chinas neighboring countries to bear higher pressure and worsens the regional environment for the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood. Moreover， in view of containing Chinas growing regional influence， the US stirs up Chinas relations with neighboring countries to prevent the unintended concrete outcomes of China-proposed initiatives in the neighborhood， thus negatively affecting the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood. Building such a community， which is in line with the shared interests of China and its neighboring countries， is a manifestation of deeper cooperations and closer ties of interests between China and its neighboring countries. But the US， from the perspective of major power strategic rivalry， attempts to politicize the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood and misrepresents Chinas efforts to build such a community as a pursuit of geopolitical weight. The US also overstretches the concept of security in economic cooperation and infrastructure projects and other mutually beneficial cooperation related to China and neighboring countries joint efforts to build a community with a shared future. The US also resorts to distortion in international communication by hyping up Chinas normal trade， investment， infrastructure construction cooperation with neighboring countries as the so-called security concerns， thus turning them into sensitive issues in bilateral relations and regional cooperation.

Third， the realist international relations theories impose restrictions on the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood. A community with a shared future represents a somehow foresighted concept in international relations that surpasses current cognition. Building a community with a shared future， which is distinct from the international cooperation based on common interests， calls for relevant countries to somewhat change their perception of interests and behaviors， meaning that member countries believe that their national interests are highly interdependent and mutually propelling to a certain extent. A fundamental prerequisite for international actors to build a community with a shared future in terms of policy is that member states do not opportunistically take advantage of arising opportunities as the international environmental changes and neither do they resort to political means to prioritize the use of pressure to gain benefits from one another. Such a perception of interest relations is yet to be steadily formed in the current international system. Instead， the international relations are still dominated by realism that places emphasis on national interests and the priority of maintaining a countrys own interests and security. The turbulence in the international system， the uncertainty facing the international community and the “America First” approach adopted by the most powerful country in the international system， have， to some extent， encouraged opportunistic behaviors in the international community.

In this context， some of Chinas neighboring countries， with inherent mindset of realistic international relations， are prone to misinterpret the building of a community with a shared future in their neighborhood. In the meantime， the dramatic changes in the international and regional landscape have placed the majority of Chinas neighboring countries under internal and external challenges. Dealing with existing and potential crises has become a top priority for many countries. In contrast， the building of a community with a shared future cannot be achieved overnight， but rather a long-term process. It is not urgent enough to be a diplomatic priority for many neighboring countries and some of them just lack the motivation to engage in the joint efforts to build a community with a shared future.

From some perspectives， Chinas neighboring countries have different understanding and perception of such a community. In order to reach consensus and build strong public opinions and social foundation for building a community with a shared future， it is essential to accurately explain and interpret the vision， while avoiding creating inappropriate expectations， lest the parties may march towards deviated directions.

New Practice of Neighborhood Diplomacy to Advance the Concept of a Community with a Shared Future

The neighboring areas are of special significance in Chinas diplomatic agenda， which is also seen in the practice of advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. From this perspective， the neighborhood is the pilot. A community with a shared future in the neighborhood， as a core component of a community with a shared future for mankind， plays an irreplaceable role in the greater scale.

Though changes in the international situation have posed more short-and-medium-term challenges to the building of a community with a shared future in Chinas neighborhood in recent years， in view of the long-term trajectory of Chinas diplomacy to build a community with a shared future for mankind， China will not flinch in the face of difficulties or remain committed to its efforts amid changing international situation. Faced with such changes， China optimizes and moderately adjusts concrete strategies and measures， rather than re-pivot its long-term efforts. In face of the changing situation in its neighborhood， the Chinese government has taken various policy measures that address realistic concerns， conform to long-term strategic design， and are fundamentally in line with the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood. Chinas diplomatic practices mainly focus on the following aspects.

Firstly， China is devoted to minimizing and diminishing the negative impacts of unfavorable factors， especially the adverse impacts of strategic competition among major powers on the regional environment. The US is recklessly pushing forward the formation of blocs featured by outright confrontation and clearly-defined camps， significantly exacerbating tensions in regional security. But China has neither adopted a tit-for-tat approach with the US nor subscribed to the use of confrontation in major power competition， thus not placing neighboring countries under mounting pressure to pick sides. Believing that sphere of influence is an outdated concept， China vigorously develops cooperative relations with neighboring countries on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Chinas approach has slowed down formation of political blocs in its neighborhood and deescalated the major power rivalry. Economically， the US has made reckless efforts to erect walls or barriers and decouple or disrupt supply chains and attempted to put in place highly politicized regional economic arrangements， which drastically disturbed the decades-old economic landscape formed on the basis of economic logic in the region. In response， China actively promotes regional economic cooperation and enhances the regional connectivity of industrial chains and supply chains. Despite of the US negative practices， China remains committed to the concept of peace， development and win-win cooperation， instead of being dragged in vicious rivalry. Even being a victim of the US frequent and unreasonable suppression， China does not distort its own behavior and make itself a constructive player in regional cooperation. By doing so， it prevents the fundamental deterioration of the regional environment for building a community with a shared future in the neighborhood.

Secondly， in a world facing uncertainty and transformation， China is striving to add positive momentum in regional cooperation and create a favorable atmosphere and environment for the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood. Chinas efforts are mainly seen in the following three aspects.

First， in the past three years， President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative， Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative， serving as three pillars and providing paths towards the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. These three global initiatives encompass such critical issues in international relations as development， security， and civilization， thus drawing enthusiastic responses from the international community and gaining extensive recognition from neighboring countries. The initiatives propose that we make development a top priority and endeavor to build a global community of development with a shared future; stay committed to respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries， reject the Cold War mentality， opposes unilateralism， and say no to group politics and bloc confrontation; advocate the diversity of civilizations， replace estrangement with exchange， clash with mutual learning and superiority with inclusiveness， never impose own values and methodologies on others and never engage in ideological confrontation. These multifaceted proposals pointedly address the problems and challenges facing neighboring countries and figure out direction and path for resolution such issues as relationship among development， security， and civilizations in the region. The three major initiatives will prepare more favorable conditions for building a community with a shared future in the neighborhood.

Second， by enhancing relations with its neighboring countries and cementing the foundation for bilateral relations， China forges expensive and profound bilateral communities with a shared future in its neighborhood and gradually links them to form a network. China has so far established a global partnership network with a massive system， complex structure， and wide coverage. Among them， China boasts the highest level of partnerships with neighboring countries and the most dense partnership networks in the neighborhood. For example， China has established the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era with Russia， the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with Pakistan， the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with Cambodia， Laos， Myanmar， Thailand and Vietnam and the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership with Kazakhstan. China has long attached importance to its relations with neighboring countries and achieved outcomes in the partnerships， which is clearly reflected in the joint efforts of China and multiple neighboring countries to build bilateral communities with a shared future. Bilaterally， China has made joint statements with Pakistan， Laos， Cambodia， Myanmar， Indonesia， Thailand， Turkmenistan， Kazakhstan， Kyrgyzstan， Tajikistan and Uzbekistan among other neighboring countries to vigorously build a community with a shared future. China has also issued action plans with Cambodia and Laos to build a community with a shared future. These statements and action plans provide stronger political support and steer more concrete actions towards the building of bilateral communities with a shared future.

Third， by properly handling the relationship between economic cooperation and security cooperation， China plays a more prominent role in maintaining regional peace and promoting regional security， thus creating sound regional security environment for the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood. Compared with security cooperation， it is relatively easier for countries to carry out in mutually beneficial economic cooperation and engage in inter-cultural dialogues and exchanges on equal footing. However， once security conflicts arise， there will not be any easy solutions， but easy spillover of the negative impacts to other fields. It often takes longer time for security issues to be fundamentally resolved without lingering consequences. Since its reform and opening up， China has gained wide experience in seeking economic cooperation with other countries and achieved fruitful outcomes. As of the end of 2022， China has become the major trading partner of over 140 countries and regions. In this context， a priority for Chinas efforts to build a community with a shared future in the neighborhood is to play a greater role in regional security now and in the upcoming years. In recent years， despite of US strategic suppression and the dramatically changing international situation， China has fully demonstrated its crucial role in promoting regional peace and security through policy practices in the field of security. For example， working with countries neighboring Afghanistan and SCO member states， China has assisted Afghanistan in stabilizing its domestic situation. Guided by the Global Security Initiative， China has successfully facilitated the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran， playing a significant role in easing the security tension in the Middle East. China has released Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis that remains committed to bringing parties to table and promoting talks for peace， thus magnifying the voices in the international community calling for peaceful settlement of the Ukraine Crisis and giving peace a better chance.

Finally， in the process of advancing the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood， it is imperative to accommodate cooperation in the field of economy， security and culture with changes in the deep-seated concepts of state-to-state relations. In the process of establishing stable ties， pragmatic cooperation helps cement the ideological foundation for building a community with a shard future in the neighborhood. This involves multiple aspects： Firstly， guided by the vision of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood， China will continuously score new progress in its cooperation with neighboring countries in various sectors. More extensive and profound cooperation serve as necessary conditions for promoting the building of a community with a shared future. Secondly， a community with shared future is a brand-new concept with connotation and implication that do not exist in traditional state-to-state relations. China needs to play a leading role in introducing this vision to the international community and helping others recognize and accept this new vision. Thirdly， it is necessary to translate the material outcomes and conceptual maturity into mechanism in the process of building such a community in the neighborhood， so as to avoid reversal， or twists and turns of achievements due to the phased changes in the international situation.

Conclusion

A community with a shared future is a visionary blueprint for the future international order and its realization will be a long-term process， which will witness friction between different philosophies and concepts. Whether one philosophy or concept can outshine others in long-term competition depends on whether it has inherent competitiveness. If it is competitive， then it stands ready to bring long-term benefits to countries that adhere to the philosophy， bring peace， stability and prosperity to the regions that act on the philosophy and help countries that implement the philosophy outperform others. To this end， fostering peace， stability， security， prosperity and harmonious inter-civilization relations in the neighborhood through the building of a community with a shared future represents an outcome as well as a source of greater international appeal to attract more partners in the building of a community with a shared future. As the community-building in the neighborhood makes constant progress， the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind will show greater appeal to the international community， which in turn provides more solid material foundation and public opinion support for the successful implementation of the vision.

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Zhou Fangyin is Professor at the School of International Relations at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and Vice President of Guangdong Institute for International Strategies