A look at China’s foreign policy moves in 2014, and what’s in store for 2015.
By Xie Tao
The Diplomat - December 27, 2014
The Chinese have a phrase to describe plans or actions that are eye-catching or have far-reaching impact. It is “da shou bi,”
which may be translated into English as “big strokes.” The past year
was undoubtedly a year of “big strokes” for Chinese foreign policy.
In 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited 18 countries across
Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania. He also hosted the Conference
on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in
Shanghai and the APEC summit in Beijing. The former was attended by 11
heads of state, two heads of government, and ten leaders of
international organizations, and the latter by 20 heads of state or
government. Whether a home game or a road game, China’s top leader
apparently managed to make it a big stroke game.
Frequent travels abroad and high-profile summits at home certainly
add to China’s international influence, but the real big strokes lie in
monetary terms. The Chinese government pledged $10 billion and $41
billion for the BRICS Development Bank and the BRICS Emergency Fund
respectively. It also founded the 21-member Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank and made an initial contribution of $50 billion. Last
but not least, China contributed $40 billion to establish the Silk Road
Fund. As many governments around the world are struggling with severe
fiscal shortfalls, the Chinese government’s largesse is all the more
eye-catching.
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