18.11.2019
On November 18 of this year, the Center for the Study of China provided a platform for a speech by the Special Representative of the Government of the People’s Republic of China for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui.
The experts of our Center always emphasize that there are many different publications, statements and points of view on the PRC in the information space today. However, in our opinion, direct communication with high – ranking Chinese representatives and studying their positions on topical issues can be productive for understanding the changing China and its development. This is useful for forming a balanced opinion.
And the meeting held in Nur-Sultan was very interesting with its new accents, which could be read in the speech between the lines of the Chinese diplomat. After all, as one well – known Chinese scholar-expert on the CIS said, you need to be able to read the speeches of Chinese officials and then understand them (indeed, sometimes Chinese colleagues speak too sophisticated, then you get used to it and start seeing messages).
If we remove all the traditional nuances in the speeches of Chinese officials (oriental compliments to the host side, praising the wisdom of leaders and wishing success to each other), then the following conclusions can be drawn from the speech of a high-ranking Chinese diplomat heard at the expert meeting:
First. Beijing, apparently, realized that they are somewhat inferior in the information flow to their Western counter – partners-and one day this may threaten reputational and economic losses. In this regard, the Chinese leadership probably decided to change the approaches from stingy public statements to dialogue and attempts at clarification. Well, the speakers were selected accordingly – an experienced diplomat who served in Kazakhstan and knows the mentality.
Second. Judging by the speech, the rhetoric of Chinese officials has become more open: for example, Li Hui freely discussed topical and even sensitive issues of the bilateral agenda of relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the People’s Republic of China in his report. Thus, the speaker of the event spoke directly about anti-Chinese sentiments in a number of countries of the world (inspired from abroad), the unreasonableness of “debt traps” or “Chinese expansion”-which indicates a serious study of these issues in Beijing.
The third. In his very structured and well-prepared speech, the Chinese diplomat directly decomposed into” fake elements ” the publications and information manipulations in the Western media regarding the policy of the PRC that are available today. In fact, it was such a direct official response to Western criticism of China, which, it should be noted, is also a new emphasis.
Fourth. It is clear that it was important for the Chinese delegation to see and hear the audience’s reaction to what was said. Taking into account the fact that about 120 people from various organizations came to the meeting (in addition to representatives of the AP, Parliament, Foreign Ministry, think tanks, NGOs, mass media, universities, there were diplomats from the United States, Ukraine, Japan, Great Britain, etc.) – the speech of the Chinese speaker will be studied “under a magnifying glass” and analyzed.
In general, the meeting was interesting, there was not enough time for a full-fledged discussion due to the scheduled negotiations of the Chinese delegation at a high level.
But for Kazakhstan’s political and expert circles, the value of such meetings is to find out the position of both sides and maintain the right balance: China is our neighbor, and the West is a partner. The multi-vector nature of the foreign policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan does not allow choosing only one side of the “truth”, but calls for a balance of positions (especially since the world is cyclical, tomorrow everything will fall into place again, everyone will reconcile and then there will be no need to look for “ways back”).
Today, the complex competition of the West with the towering China is growing in the world (well, Western countries do not want to concede to the eastern giant). And this already obvious competition is being conducted not only in the economic and technological plane, but has also moved into the political and ideological dimension. The West has been vigorously promoting its vision of Chinese policy for a long time, calling it nothing but “expansion”, and systematically intensifies “fears about the growing power of the PRC”.
And if China used to be virtually always silent (many associated this with Confucian philosophy), now it has apparently decided to declare its position and respond to the accusations of Western partners. Of course, one speech cannot stop the information wave, but the very fact of changes and reaction to criticism suggests that China does not care how it is perceived in the near-border environment, it wants to be friends and work, and not just to promote its interests.
China Studies Centre,
Nur-Sultan, 2019
Number of shows: 1127
