The goodwill diplomacy and legitimate demands of China are often misunderstood on the international stage

In recent years, accusations of an over-confident, assertive and arrogant China have been heard unceasingly in the international arena. Anything China says is labeled as aggressive or arrogant when it does not follow the line of the West. China's diplomacy is continually bashed by tongue and pen.

For China, which is devoted to building a harmonious world of sustained peace and common prosperity, the antagonism in the international arena seems like black clouds bearing down on the nation.

After 60 years of arduous endeavors, especially since the policies of reform and opening-up were introduced at the end of the 1970s, China has successfully embarked on the road of peaceful development - one compatible with its national conditions and the characteristics of the times - and it has regained its confidence in safeguarding its legitimate national interests.

However, regaining confidence does not mean that the nation has become too assertive or arrogant. China will not waver from the path of peaceful development because of external suspicions and misinterpretations of its intentions.

Only by abandoning the outdated Cold War mentality and narrow-minded ideological prejudices can the West understand the positive and constructive side of China's diplomacy. Clinging to such outmoded perceptions and prejudices just leads to misjudgments of Beijing's diplomatic intentions and does severe harm to international relations.

The reason that China's diplomacy is frequently viewed in the West as arrogant is that a de facto rising China, with its distinctive social system and development model, makes Western countries uncomfortable. Such a fact was further highlighted by the global financial crisis. Thanks to its swift and effective responses to crisis, China has been at the forefront of global efforts to mitigate the affects of the crisis.

However, China's fundamental diplomatic principles and goals are not just afterthoughts and its growing strength is not merely the result of the global financial crisis. In fact, in recent years China has simply been building momentum in its longstanding efforts to pursue peace, development and cooperation through its diplomacy.

China attaches great importance to expanding exchanges and cooperation with the developed world and insists on taking positive measures, enhancing mutual trust and reducing suspicions to promote the long-term, stable and sound development of international relations.

In its relations with its neighbors, Beijing strives to maintain friendly and healthy ties and pursues pragmatic cooperation that will promote common development and prosperity. With regard to territorial disputes, China repeatedly calls for dialogue and friendly negotiations as the means to resolve the issues, and it seeks to resist any outside interference that might complicate attempts at reaching agreements.

China also looks to strengthen unity and cooperation with developing countries because it too is a developing country.

In the face of severe global challenges, China is promoting multilateral diplomacy and taking an active role in international affairs for the common good. China supports efforts to strengthen the role of the United Nations and, has been playing a positive and constructive role in multilateral frameworks, such as the Group of 20 and the Asia-Europe Meeting.

Though still hindered by differences in values and social institutions, the goodwill and cooperative intentions China constantly sends out to the world through public diplomacy are there for all to see as China is committed to enhancing humanistic cooperation with other countries.

An important task facing China's diplomacy in the future is how to express its legitimate and reasonable demands in a way that the international community can understand and accept.

Based on domestic and international situations and the creation of a favorable external environment for the nation's modernization, Chinese decision-makers will remain firmly dedicated to peace, development and cooperation and, China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development.

The author is a researcher with the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China.

(China Daily 11/23/2010 page8)