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Iraqi Lessons For China: Beijing Must Invest In Diplomacy

Taking notes? Chinese Middle East envoy Wu Sike (left) and Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki (right) in Baghdad on July 7, 2014
Taking notes? Chinese Middle East envoy Wu Sike (left) and Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki (right) in Baghdad on July 7, 2014
Wang Yidan and Zhou Dongxu

BEIJING — On June 27, after days of uncertainty and rumors, 1,260 Chinese workers who had been trapped in northern Iraq's war-torn Saladin province were finally evacuated and transferred to Baghdad.

Just like the 2011 emergency pullout of Chinese nationals from Libya and the recent evacuation of others in the anti-Chinese protests in Vietnam, this incident has once again shown how China's growing integration with the rest of the world will inevitably lead to more and more conflicts.

While just two decades ago very few Chinese traveled abroad, more than 100 million now go abroad each year. The Iraq evacuation reflects the serious challenges China will face in the coming decade to improve procedures for protecting both personal safety and property.

Except for high-risk countries such as Iraq, diplomatic efforts typically consist in dealing with incidents that fall within the purview of the general public's consular protection services, including assistance to tourists in legal disputes in popular destinations as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

China's current approach to international diplomacy can be described as "a small horse drawing a big cart," as Beijing neither invests enough resources nor possesses enough professional capability to cope with the mass of Chinese people traveling abroad.

What comes with power

In comparison to the world's major powers, China only invests a tiny portion of its GDP on foreign affairs. For instance, in 2012, China's diplomatic budget accounted for 0.0672% of its GDP whereas it is 0.3514% in the United States, 0.133% in the UK, and 0.128% in Germany.

In relative terms, China also possesses relatively few embassies and consulates. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs employs just more than 6,000 staff while America has 15,000.

In addition to the shortage at the diplomatic level, China's military development doesn't match the increasing foreign travel and investment. For example, even as China's marine industry has been developing rapidly, the Chinese government deploys very few military escorts. Chinese ships are thus left to rely on other countries' warships for protection, a situation befitting of a regional, not global, economic power.

It is essential that China puts more public resources into foreign affairs. Cooperation with regional and international organizations should deepen, and relevant agreements with local military and police forces will help protect its citizens and business interests overseas.

China should also provide more public goods to the world, such as contributing more annual dues to the United Nations or participating in more UN joint actions, to obtain more foreign assistance. Until now, neither Chinese leaders nor the public are even aware that the country is contributing too little to global efforts. China cannot expect the benefits of becoming a great power without taking on more responsibility.

In brief, compared with advanced countries, China still lags a long way behind in its diplomatic affairs. This is not simply a matter of foreign or military policy, nor just state business, but is inextricably linked to the future well-being of every citizen.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

How Much Does Xi Jinping Care About Putin's ICC Arrest Warrant?

After the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow for a three-day visit. How far will he be willing to go to support Putin, a fugitive from international justice?

Photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev

Extended meeting of Russian Interior Ministry board on Monday, March 20

Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

PARIS — Since Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin said last year that the friendship between their nations was "boundless," the world has wondered where the limits really lie. The Chinese president's three-day visit to Russia, which began Monday, gives us an opportunity to assess.

Xi's visit is important in many ways, particularly because the International Criminal Court has just issued an arrest warrant against Putin for his role in forcibly sending thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia. For Putin, there could be no better response to this international court, which he does not recognize, than to appear alongside the president of a great country, which, like Russia, is also a permanent member of the UN Security Council. How isolated can Putin really be, when the leader of 1.5 billion people in China comes to visit?

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