As a diplomat with 40 years of experience, I have observed Chinese President Xi Jinping's vision of international relations and his contributions to global governance.
Over the past decade, Xi has championed a harmonious approach to international cooperation, bringing new momentum to this traditionally conservative field.
Students of political science would be familiar with Carl von Clausewitz's famous dictum that war is merely the "continuation of policy by other means". But Chinese diplomacy has long advocated a different vision of international relations — one that seeks to prevent conflict through dialogue and mutual understanding before violence begins.
History shows how misunderstandings can escalate into crises, crises into armed conflicts, and conflicts into devastating wars. Diplomacy seeks to interrupt this chain before violence erupts.
Chinese diplomacy offers a renewed vision of international relations itself.
