An in depth exchange in the study of contemporary Chinese diplomatic history

Mondo Culture Updated on 2024-01-30

Xi Laiwang.

On the day of the winter solstice, I was invited to the beautiful Southwest University, which is the second time that the author has come to the beautiful Chongqing since 2006, and the second time that the author has been invited to attend the conference hosted by the Institute of Contemporary China Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences after 2021. The one-and-a-half-day intensive seminar, co-organized by the Institute of Contemporary China Studies and Southwest University, focused on "Research on Contemporary Chinese Diplomatic History in 2023", is of great significance.

Through the joint efforts of the organizers and the participating experts, the conference has undoubtedly played a role in promoting the research status of contemporary Chinese diplomatic history and the development of the discipline of new Chinese history through serious and full discussion and exchanges. As far as the author is concerned, one of the things that impressed me was that for the first time, I played different roles as a speaker, reviewer, reviewer and introducer during a seminar.

First of all, it is a successful combination of historical thinking and international perspective.

The author has been engaged in the research and practical work of real international issues and Chinese diplomacy for decades, but the basic training of the history major should be said to have been helping me in different positions at home and abroad. In recent years, the author has been calling for the perfect combination of historical thinking and international vision on many occasions, and this symposium provides a good opportunity for this. The first half of the presentations reflected the unique perspective of the history major. In fact, contemporary Chinese diplomatic history is an important part of the history of New China, and contemporary Chinese diplomatic history has become an increasingly concerned research object at home and abroad.

The experts of the School of History of Southwest University are very modest, but they are also very distinctive in their comments on related issues, especially the research of historical facts, the citation of historical materials, and the grasp of conclusions, all of which reflect the rigor of historians.

Secondly, it embodies the all-round interpretation and development of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

The discussion covered important topics such as the evolution trend and impact of the current geopolitical pattern around China, the experience and enlightenment of the Communist Party of China in foreign relations over the past century, the main experience of the smooth development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era, the successful practice of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the series of foreign-related documents in 2023, the theoretical thinking and practical path of China's proposal and promotion of the implementation of the Global Security Initiative, and the theoretical and practical research of the Communist Party of China on external propaganda since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Experts can take the best diplomatic thought and overall outlook as the fundamental follow, not only adhere to a high political position, but also face the objective reality of the acceleration of changes in the past century, put forward enlightening and unique views on a series of major issues, and affirm the responsibility of China's diplomacy in the new era to inject stability and positive energy into the turbulent international situation. During the conference, the author also took advantage of the opportunity of four different roles to express his academic views on related hot topics.

Third, a basic consensus should be reached on how to study the history of diplomacy and how to draw on the theory of international relations.

The author feels that the conference is well prepared, the arrangement is meticulous and ingenious, and the academic community has exchanged views on how to enhance the sense of mission and strengthen the study of contemporary diplomatic history, especially the setting of the review and comment link is very distinctive and meaningful, so as to put forward some constructive suggestions on how to further revise and improve the research of some scholars. It is in the review and comment session that the experts, combined with the opinions of several young scholars, proposed that the study of contemporary Chinese diplomatic history should not only pay attention to excavating valuable historical materials, but also not blindly fall into the pile of materials and lose a sense of direction, but should be able to control historical materials from the basic viewpoint of historical materialism and establish the correct goal and direction of researchAs for the question of drawing on Western international relations theories in the study of Chinese diplomatic history, there is also the problem of how to be good at controlling it in combination with reality, and we cannot reluctantly apply it to scenarios that are not applicable, and in general, we should respond to the call of the state and strive to build a discipline system, academic system, and discourse system with Chinese characteristics in the study of Chinese diplomatic history.

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