Relations with Neighboring Countries, Neighboring Region and China’s Neighborhood Environment

The Chinese government released the Outlook on China’s Foreign Policy on Its Neighborhood In the New Era in October 2023， which explicitly stated that “the neighborhood is where China survives and thrives and the foundation of its development and prosperity”. Such a high positioning of the neighborhood indicates that China attaches great importance to its neighborhood and is resolutely determined to deal well with it. The neighborhood relationship features a dual structure： one is the state-to-state relations， meaning the bilateral relations between China and its neighboring countries; the other is regional relations， meaning relationship between China and its neighboring countries as a coexisting region， which collectively make up the overall neighborhood environment. Fostering a sound neighborhood environment is imperative to China’s security and development.

Properly Handling Complicated Relations with Neighboring Countries

Due to factors of history， politics， economy and culture among others， China’s relations with its numerous neighboring countries are complicated. With long-devoted efforts after the founding of the People’s Republic of China， China has gradually normalized relations with its neighboring countries. As of now， China has resolved historic boundary issues with 12 neighbors on land through negotiations and signed the treaties of good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation with nine neighboring countries. Based on this， China continues to improve and deepen its relations with neighboring countries. The relations are also changing and evolving， which is manifested by stronger economic bond between China and its neighboring countries as China becomes the largest or most important trading partner to its neighboring countries and offers them irreplaceable and practical benefits. Such close economic ties further serve as a fundamental factor contributing to the stability of China’s relations with neighboring countries. In reality， due to existing disputes and other factors， China’s relations with certain countries have also suffered occasional setbacks and even conflicts.

In general， three categories of factors affect China’s relations with neighboring countries. The first are territorial and maritime disputes， the second are historic issues， and the third are political and other conflicts. These three factors are independent and yet interconnected. Among them， territorial and maritime disputes are the most complex and sensitive issues to deal with. An example is the China-India territorial dispute， which is a historic issue. Though the two sides have established dialogue and consultation mechanisms and reached basic consensus on stabilizing the boundary， India’s occasional provocation of conflicts sometimes result in tensions or even confrontations with China， severely affecting the bilateral relations. With extensive common interests and broad space for cooperation， China and India have arrived at the fundamental consensus to avoid escalation of the situation， peacefully resolve disputes， and stabilize the overall relationship. Therefore， in times of conflicts， the two sides are ready to sit at the table for dialogue and negotiation， reach agreement to deescalate the tension， and minimize further impacts and consequences.

The disputes over islands， reefs and waters are seen in the East and South China Seas. In the East China Sea region， the dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent waters is also a historic issue. In the South China Sea， besides China and ASEAN， the parties to the disputes， multiple players are engaged. With the consensus of stabilizing the overall situation， China and ASEAN have issued the Declaration on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea （DOC） and held consultations on the “Code of Conduct in the South China Sea”. Although ASEAN member states are obliged to observe the agreement， ASEAN lacks the binding force over its members. Shift of power in the Philippines in recent years has led to changes of policies and further caused conflicts and confrontation. Pulling forces outside the region into matters of the South China Sea even further complicated the situation. Under such circumstances， China enhances negotiation and cooperation with ASEAN to stabilize the situation and also engage in dialogue with the Philippines in pursuit of approaches that avoid the escalation of confrontation and maximally maintain the overall stability of bilateral relations.

As to the impacts of politics and other conflicts on bilateral relations， it sometimes features an emergent occurrence involving multiple reasons and consequences. In China-Japan relations， Japan occasionally strains the relations by taking insidious moves to understate and modify its history of aggression. In China-South Korea relations， dramatic changes of policies adopted by new governments lead to different positions with China on certain issues， which imposes further impacts on bilateral relations. The China-Myanmar relations is affected by the domestic politics of Myanmar. The ongoing turmoil in Myanmar， especially the war breaking out in areas bordering China， has exerted adverse impacts on the bilateral relations. Firmly upholding the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs and in the face of sudden changes of regimes or policies in its neighboring countries， China is committed to expanding consensus through dialogue， pursuing concrete measures to improve bilateral relations and avoiding major backlash in bilateral relations.

Fostering stable and sustainable bilateral relations is the priority of China’s neighborhood diplomacy. At present， despite of conflicts and disputes between China and certain countries， the overall situation is stable and controllable. Absence of conflicts between neighboring countries is quite rare across the world. The key is that， when there are conflicts， they can be eased and settled through dialogue and negotiation. Generally， China and its neighboring countries have basically reached consensus on dialogue and negotiation as approaches to alleviate and resolve disputes.