Global vision

While vowing to pursue sustainable development and strengthen CPC self-discipline, Hu set China's diplomatic priorities in his report to the 18th CPC National Congress.

The report shed light on some emerging trends on the world stage, said Chen Dongxiao, Vice President of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.

For instance, it underlined the importance of cultural diversity in response to the misconception that the U.S. model would dominate the world, a view expounded by many Western scholars since the end of the Cold War. It recognized the emergence of an information society given the impact of new media on information dissemination and international relations.

Against this backdrop, China will continue to cement bonds with other major powers, neighbors and fellow developing countries, the report said. In particular, it will support efforts to increase the representation and voices of developing countries in international affairs, while taking an active and responsible role in global issues.

"We will decide our position and policy on an issue on its own merits and work to uphold fairness and justice," the report said. In keeping with this principle, China contributes to the resolution of international hotspot issues such as the ongoing Syrian crisis with an impartial stance, Chen said.

Shi of the China Institute of International Studies shared Chen's opinion. He said parties concerned are prone to taking biased views and radical actions when dealing with hotly contested international issues, such as the Syrian crisis and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. China therefore plays an indispensable role in ensuring fairness, preventing the escalation of conflicts and maintaining peace.

China will not abandon the principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs, Shi said. However, it will share its views and experience with other countries during bilateral exchanges.

"Peaceful development" has been a buzzword in China's diplomacy in the past decade. Proposed at the beginning of Hu's first tenure as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the notion aims to address fears about the "China threat," said Xie.

These fears are unjustified primarily because China has achieved an economic takeoff by participating in global competition in accordance with the rules of the World Trade Organization, he said. In light of its per-capita GDP, China needs to focus on its own development and is therefore unable to threaten other countries. Moreover, traditional Chinese culture highly prizes harmony and peace.

China's peaceful development, however, hinges on the external environment. Peaceful development is possible on condition that China's core interests are protected, Chen said.

"We are firm in our resolve to uphold China's sovereignty, security and development interests and will never yield to any outside pressure," Hu said in his report.

In this sense, China's military buildup and strong measures to protect territorial integrity are not contradictory to its goal of peaceful development, Chen said.

Nevertheless, long-held tenets such as "peaceful development," "an independent foreign policy of peace" and "a win-win strategy of opening up" will remain guidelines for China's diplomacy, Chen said.

At the press conference following his election, Xi also took an open, inclusive stance. "Just as China needs to learn more about the world, so does the world need to learn more about China," he said.