The SJpirit of Shanghai Communique: Braving A Half-Century Test & Progressing with the Time——Jiemian Yang
The SJpirit of Shanghai Communique:
Braving A Half-Century Test & Progressing with the Time
Jiemian Yang
Among numerous joint communiques signed as framework documents for bilateral relations, the Shanghai Communique between the Governments of the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America withstood the enduring test of fifty years with the unfading spirit of win-win cooperation, and progressed toward the right tide of history. Notably, fundamental changes that took place in both international and domestic landscapes set the ground for China and the US to cease confrontation and resume contact. In the bigger picture, the post-WWII world was then treading through the twists and turns of transitioning from the era of “war and revolution” into “peace and development”. In parallel, the then China-US interaction was struggling its way in intertwined cold and hot wars, as well as in alternating confrontations and communications. In this quarter century, the United States went overboard at the peak of its postwar dominance, trapped in economic recession, oil crisis, dollar-gold decoupling, and the mire of the Vietnam War. Likewise, in imminent threat of the Soviet hegemonism and expansionism, while suffering from domestic afflictions of the Cultural Revolution, China also needed to obtain greater strategic initiative in the “Three Worlds” and get out of international isolation. In this context, China-US relations, previously in gradual change, brewed to the historic turning point, awaiting to find opportunities for sudden, definitive transformation. As internal and external conditions matured, the opportunity finally arrived via a winding path -- from China’s civil war that witnessed Marshall’s Mediation and Jinmen Bombardment, to Asia’s hot wars as in the Korean War and Vietnam War; from the diplomatic negotiations of Geneva Conference to Ambassadorial Talks in Warsaw; from the Sino-Soviet split to the triangular strategy on which China and America sought contact; from Edgar Snow the messenger to Pakistan’s communication channel -- at the end of this path, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, joined by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, scored the finishing goal that reopened the door of China-US exchanges. Admittedly, at the time in both countries, domestic forces opposing the reconciliation clamored; divergence in principle over the Taiwan issue remained; different interests in the Indo-China War lingered. In a word, as serious obstacles still visibly existed, the reconciliation called for interpretation by ideas and promotion in actions. To this end, the then US President Nixon likened his visit to China as a “difficult trip to the moon,” while China also needed to make stern turns in its internal and external policies during the Cultural Revolution. Still and all, in this whole process, the top leaders of both countries generously offered the foresight and sagacity of strategists, contributed vision and wisdom of statesmen, gave full play to the superb art of diplomats, and eventually presented together the incredible Shanghai Communique, as the finale of “the week that changed the world.”
With regard to vision and planning, the Shanghai Communique offers enlightenment from three perspectives. First, China-US relations must be observed with strategic vision. Certainly, the two countries hold differences and divergence in history, politics, economy, religion, culture and society. Even so, the Shanghai Communique, by transcending the constraints of time and space, succeeded in seeking common ground while reserving differences. Needless to say, the present China-US relations have fallen into a low point. Yet in the long run, Deng Xiaoping’s judgement is still valid to this day – “China-US relations will improve after all.” Second, China-US relations should advance through strategic planning. Confronted with common strategic threats of Soviet hegemonism and expansionism, top leaders were able to carry bilateral relations from such strategic height as to correctly make strategic arrangements for diplomacy and mutual relationship. Over the past half century, China and the United States have built “constructive” strategic consensus on jointly opposing Soviet expansionism, promoting globalization, counter-terrorism and tackling the financial crisis, amid complexities of the bilateral relations and varieties of the world affairs. In contrast, China-US relations today may not meet the above conditions, yet by reverse thinking, what can still be done is to avoid “destructive” strategic consensus. That is, through gradually exploring common grounds while shelving differences, the ultimate strategic consensus could be reached on jointly opposing the new Cold War, relieving ecological deterioration and checking nuclear war. Third, there should be a strategic bottom line in safeguarding China-US relations. As the ancient Chinese saying goes, precaution facilitates success, whereas without precaution there will be failure. In the past, the twenty-odd years of China’s arduous work changed the course of animosity, as Richard Nixon became the first US president to visit a country without diplomatic relations. Today, the Shanghai Communique, Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, and the August 17 Communique are increasingly being hollowed into empty words. Seeing these changes in internal and external situation, we should not make wishful thinking and need to prepare for multiple scenarios. In particular, strategic bottom-line thinking and effective preparations are essential for holding the initiative in the event of major crises and challenges. As the world enters into the period of turbulence and transformation, China-US relations are also faced with severe challenges of the time. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Shanghai Communique, we opt to take history as a mirror to create the future, a future to build together a new type of international relations under new historical conditions, a future that better benefits China, the US and the international community as a whole, as well as a journey together of building a community with a shared future for mankind. At the start of this journey, the China-US consensus on the five principles of peaceful coexistence in the Shanghai Communique injected an extremely important impetus into the world’s entry into the era of peace and development. Since the 1970s, the international configuration and the major power relations have gradually adjusted in the direction of win-win cooperation, creating a new way for countries of different ideologies, cultural heritages and development stages to deal with mutual relations. It is an innovation in the history of international relations and still holds profound referential values to this day. At present, the three principles of “mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation” emphasized by China in China-US relations are exactly the inheritance, development and innovation of the spirit of the Shanghai Communique. Over the past half century, China and the United States, under concerted efforts of the international community, have been the beneficiaries, supporters and promoters of such spirit, achieving continuous trade increase, sustained economic prosperity, as well as deepening exchanges in science & technology and education. The two peoples have indeed benefited from practical cooperation, while the people of the world shared their benefits from the improvement of China-US relations. For the time being, as the international community confronts the severe Covid-19 pandemic, benefitting the people has been endowed with new request and new meaning of the era, namely that life comes first and health is the priority. It is from such height should China and the United States view their respective and joint responsibilities in pandemic-fighting. Similarly in the longer term, the international community’s concerted efforts in climate change governance are directly relevant to the living welfare of human society and life quality of hundreds of millions of people, as we embrace the new science & technology reforms and adapt them to gain benefits and avoid prospective disadvantages in life, production and exchanges. In response to such global challenges and new historic agendas, no country can do it alone, and no nation can recede to self-seclusion. As President Xi Jinping remarked many times on the China-US relations: “History has fully proven that cooperation is the best choice for both sides.” The two countries should strive not only for a win-win scenario, but also collectively work toward an all-win situation worldwide. In pursuit of this vision, China advocates a new type of international relations in world politics, economy, security and culture, promotes a community with a shared future for mankind as the long-term goal, and commits to work with the international community to build a better future. Today, as we gather here to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Shanghai Communique, the message we are sending to the world is the foundation, principle, determination, direction and efforts that China made and has been making to improve China-US relations. The message on the Chinese side is frank and clear, whereas whether the US side can understand it is another matter. In retrospect, the Oct. 1, 1970 photo of cordial conversations between Chairman Mao Zedong and Edgar Snow on the Tian’anmen Rostrum did not catch the attention of the then American government. As a matter of fact, missing the message was not what the US later explained as insensitivity to subtle implication of oriental expressions. Rather, the reason was that the US had put on colored spectacles of ideology when understanding Snow’s role. As we gather here, we assume history may or may not repeat itself. On November 16, 2021, during the virtual meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, President Xi said sincerely to President Biden that “History is a fair judge, and what a statesman does, be it right or wrong, an accomplishment or failure, will all be recorded by history. It is hoped that Mr. President will give full play to political leadership and steer the US China policy back to the track of rationality and pragmatism.” Nevertheless, if those in power in the US cannot correctly perceive the world, seize the opportunity and conform to the historical trend, and still choose to take the lone course, then China will only accompany to the end, prospecting to win the ultimate strategic victory through strategic patience.
