China Needs a New Foreign Policy

China’s need for an updated foreign policy is more urgent than ever, and its new global outlook will undoubtedly carry global implications.

Qin Gang, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, summarised his country’s policy of non-interference succinctly when he outlined in 2007 the direction of Chinese foreign policy. He stressed that ‘China … will not interfere with other countries’ internal affairs’ and ‘will not impose our own ideology on other countries’. And the principle of non-interference has served China well in the past, allowing it to single-mindedly focus on internal socioeconomic development and to adroitly create an international environment favourable to its own ‘peaceful development’. China is now poised to become the world’s next dominant superpower as a result. In light of this new global context, the increasing obsolescence of the current Chinese foreign policy can be clearly seen from two perspectives: the costs of adhering to its current policy of non-interference and the benefits of becoming more outwardly-engaged.