Multilateralism and the Realization of the Chinese Dream: A Possible Way to Nurture Mutual Trust

Abstract

When China’s new president Xi Jinping first introduced the Chinese dream, he said that Chinese dream means the great revival of the Chinese nation (中华民族伟大复兴) (Xinhua Net: http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2013-05/08/c_124669102.htm). This great revival invites people to refer to the most prosperous time of Chinese history, when China had been the greatest nation in the world both economically and militarily. Mr. Wang Yi, the new minister of foreign affairs, has explained that the realization of Chinese dreams, albeit the great revival of the Chinese nation needs a peaceful and stable neighborhood (Wang Yi: Insist on Peaceful Development, Realise the Chinese Dream of Nation’s Revival: http://theory.people.com.cn/n/2014/0217/c40531-24378766.html). Yet now the most prominent threat, as China’s military and economic powers quickly rise, is the deficiency in trust toward China. This lack of mutual trust is especially important among East Asian countries (Ba and Shen in Jilin Univ J Soc Sci Edit 54(3): 13–20, 2014, p. 14), the most direct neighborhood of China. In the article, I will analyze the historical and political origins of mistrust toward China, and argue that multilateralism is a highly possible solution for the problem of trust deficiency. Thus, adopting multilateralism is the key for realizing Chinese dreams, because it generates trusts by regulating states’ behavior through institutionalization of collaboration.