Peaceful Coexistence Strategy and China's Diplomatic Power

Abstract

Diplomatic power and influence, coexistence-style, concerns the ability to determine the framework governing international security management. It requires a programme for international order that devises methods on how to manage the use of force, jurisdiction over peoples and territory and international agreements. China’s diplomatic strategy is based on its constitutional concept of peaceful coexistence. This concept has been translated into a programme for order that involves governmental consent, United Nations’ (UN) authorisation and approval from regional or functional UN-based organisations as a requirement for using force; effective control and respect for the legal equality of states as a precondition for exercising jurisdiction over peoples and territory; and absolute sovereignty as a basis for the validity of international agreements. The dominant element of Beijing’s strategy is coexistence diplomacy, which has allowed China to become a maker of international order.