No ‘I’ for India in Xi’s diplomacy A-Z
BEIJING: President Xi Jinping’s philosophy behind international diplomacy has been distilled into an “A to Z” by Chinese state media, detailing his pet projects
BEIJING: President Xi Jinping’s philosophy behind international diplomacy has been distilled into an “A to Z” by Chinese state media, detailing his pet projects and his aims for “major-country” relationships with nations such as the US.
Each of the powerful president’s aims and objectives has been crystallised to coincide with a letter of the alphabet, adding another layer to the cult of personality that is carefully being cultivated around Xi.
They are being described as the “26 key words or phrases that relate to this new style of diplomacy”.
The official Xinhua news agency reported: “A major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics has taken shape since Xi Jinping became the top leader in late 2012.”
This class for diplomacy – “X” for “Xi-style” – begins predictably with “A” for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and “B” for Xi’s pet “Belt and Road Initiative”. “The Belt and Road initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was first promulgated by Xi in 2013, who envisioned a trade and infrastructure network that connects Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes,” the state media explained.
With “C” for “climate change”, it said China will “cut its carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60 to 65 percent by 2030 from the 2005 levels…and peak carbon emissions by 2030”.
There is no “I” for India or “N” for the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the body controlling access to sensitive atomic technology that was at the centre of bilateral tensions over New Delhi’s application to join the elite club.
The closest this iteration of Xi’s diplomacy gets to India is “N” for “neighbourhood diplomacy”.
