Publisher's Synopsis
Since the 1990s, China's overarching foreign policy principle
was taoguang yanghui, yousuo zuowei - 'keeping a low profile
and achieving something' (KLP).[1] Coined by Deng Xiaoping,
it was actively adopted by Hu Jintao as well. As a rising power,
China was keen not to upset the international order or draw the
ire of United States. However, its rising economic clout meant
that this policy alone was unsuccessful in China being treated as a
competitor. This formulation has never been used by Xi Jinping.
Reflecting the increasingly aggressive attitude of China globally, he has relied on fenfa youwei - 'striving for achievement' (SFA) to achieve the 'Chinese dream' at a global stage, and particularly in China's own neighbourhood.[2] This ties in with Chinese ambitions of first becoming a regional power and eventually a global power by 2050. After Xi assumed the position of the President of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in March 2013, there
appeared three important documents illustrating the SFA strategy comprehensively in that year. These are Wang Yi's speech at the Second World Peace Forum in July, Yang Jiechi's article in Qiushi
(Seeking Truth) in August and Xi's own speech on diplomacy
toward surrounding countries in October.
