China has experienced drastic changes in its foreign relations during the four decades since the country launched its reform and opening-up policy in 1978.

Over the years, China shifted from seclusion to openness, and entered into peaceful and cooperative diplomatic relations with global powers.

Based on ever-changing international situations, Chinese diplomatic policies went through several stages: diplomatically isolated, equal gaming and being of mutual interdependence.

China, a large developing country, is now playing an irreplaceable role in addressing international affairs while taking the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Seventy years ago, former Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong said that “China should make a greater contribution to mankind.” The country is being true to his words.

In 1978, China revaluated the international situation while putting an end to its internal focus on interclass struggle. Then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping forecast that there would be no world war within the coming decades and argued peace and development were the two dominant themes of the modern world. He pointed out that China should seize opportunities to develop its economy, which ushered in a new era of fulfilling the central task of economic construction.

Afterwards, it witnessed a historical shift in Chinese diplomatic policy from being ready to engage in a world war to create a peaceful international environment for building a modern country. These conclusions formed a theoretical basis and guideline that set China on its future course of diplomatic relations.

With the direction set right, China has taken a bumpy road to success in foreign relations over the past 40 years.

During the first decade (1978-87), China faced many intricate challenges at home and abroad, when the country was managing to bring things out of chaos and pull all strength back to economic development amidst the ongoing Cold War mentality.

In 1979, China established formal diplomatic relations with the United Sates and then opened a new page in Chinese diplomacy with Western countries.

The hostile relations between China and Soviet Union finally came to a full stop in 1989 when former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev visited China. Meanwhile, China’s multilateral relations with neighboring countries had been since improved in general.

Seizing the opportunities brought by the second wave of economic globalization, China’s economy began to take off through the introduction of overseas capital and technologies.

During the second decade (1988-97), China insisted on developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, a decision marking a drastic collision with the Western mentality. It signified a rugged course of diplomatic relations.

A series of drastic political changes reversed the US’s diplomatic policy toward China and shifted its fancy of Westernizing China to the expectation that China would be caught up by the domino effect with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The US pressed China by all means available, with the exception of breaking off nominal diplomatic relations and blockade, forcing China into a tight spot.

Chinese diplomacy was filled with struggles in this period.

China has experienced an unprecedented rise and grew to be a strong economy entity since 1992 when former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping took his famous "southern tour".

With economic codependence between China and the West intensifying, both sides cannot pay the economic costs caused by political confrontation. Even only for their own interests, Western countries cannot ignore a developing China.

In the late 1990s, the confrontations between China and the US were cleared away after both presidents visited each other, although there still existed differences in political systems and ideologies.

China’s economic strength and comprehensive national power sustained growing momentum and entered a new stage in the third decade (1998-2007). The year of 2001 saw China join the World Trade Organization and further integrate itself with the world economy.

Seven years later, China surpassed Germany to become the third-largest economy. On the other hand, China gained a new historical opportunity developing foreign relations.

The favorable global context laid a good foundation for China to focus on economic development. The country’s better integration into the global economy also gave itself a louder voice in international affairs and made it a decision-maker in the rules of the game.

With the globe trapped in the chronic financial crisis in 2008, China was viewed as one pillar of a worldwide economic recovery and was invited to accede to the G20, an example of global greater expectations of China.

China overtook Japan as the second largest economic power globally during the fourth decade (2009-2018). It’s the time when the world’s political and economic focus began to shift from the Europe to Asia. The Western powers have increasing doubts and precautions against China’s growth.

US president Barack Obama’s administration laid down several targeted policies toward China, including its policy "pivot to Asia" and the "rebalance to Asia" strategy. Afterwards, the situation on the Korean Peninsula took a sudden turn and became rapidly worse.

Sino-Japanese relations worsened as Japan stirred up the territorial dispute over China’s Diaoyu Islands. The US in interfered the disputes over the South China Sea with an excuse of its "freedom of navigation" operations, inciting the tension in China-ASEAN relations.

In addition, China also encountered several troubled neighbors.

Backed with its rapid growth, China has seized the initiative but still took arduous efforts to resolve the disputes in its foreign relations and find a proper solution for China-US ties.

Chinese diplomacy has entered a new era since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China convened in November 2012.

It’s the new era that sees China moving unprecedentedly closer to center stage and realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

China continues to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, keep in mind both internal and international imperatives, ensure both development and security, stay on the path of peaceful development, resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintain and extend the period of important strategic opportunities to achieve the two centenary goals and provide solid foundation for realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Important messages from 40 years of Chinese diplomacy:

Economic strength and overall national power form the basis for a nation’s diplomacy policy. China should at all times focus on the central task of economic development, and do its own things well.

Development is the absolute principle, and is the key to resolving all Chinese internal affairs, foreign affairs included.

As an old Chinese saying goes, a nation could not stand on its foot without a strong economy or powerful army. To be a real global power, China has to keep enhancing its national strength. International competition in the final analysis depends on national power.

China has still a long way to go catch up with the global developed countries. It means China needs a long period of stability and peace in the international environment to develop herself.

The growth and rise of China will result in the world order restructuring. There exist some structural disputes between China and some major countries. China’s future diplomacy will not go smoothly. However, 40 years of efforts have accumulated rich experience to learn from, helping make the right decisions.

The writer is a guest research fellow of China Institute of International Studies and the former Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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