Sieren's China: Beijing's foreign policy gets friendly

For the first time in over a year, China's foreign policy was the focal point of a conference hosted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and attended by six members of the Politburo. The occasion marked only the second time that the president addressed the topic in public, with state TV broadcasting his speech. It was an impassioned one, revolving around the idea of the "Chinese dream," which basically entails boosting the country's position on the world stage even further. The message is unlikely to go down terribly well in the United States, India or any of China's immediate neighbors, such as the Philippines and Vietnam.

But at least Xi understands that demonstrating strength and power is not always advisable and opted this time for friendly rhetoric. In an address aimed primarily at China's neighbors, he struck a conciliatory note, referring to "win-win cooperation," "shared interests" and "a neighborhood policy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness." Just as long as none of those neighbors do anything to undermine Chinese interests, he might have added.

Those interests are manifold and involve many other countries. Fiji, for example. A few corrupt mainland officials settled here and Xi is not prepared to let them slip through his fingers. With that in mind, he traveled there in late November and offered financial aid worth 70 million yuan (approx. 9 million euros), presumably hoping to secure Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama's friendship in return. Last year, China earmarked $18 million for Fiji, making it the island nation's second-biggest donor.

It was bad news, however, for Guo Yipin, the deputy mayor of Luoyang City in Henan province who allegedly took bribes worth around 5 million yuan and fled to Fiji. But China has even bigger fish to fry: Last year, authorities caught up with Chen Yi, the former head of Shanghai's largest insurance agency who made off to Fiji with 500 million yuan. Beijing has realized that it's a popular destination for officials who've misbehaved. Around one third of its 332 islands are uninhabited and hard to reach, making them perfect hideaways. But not for much longer.

As far Xi is concerned, Fiji is not just important in terms of taking his anti-graft campaign outside China. The nation is also a member of the United Nations and could prove be a useful partner on the foreign policy stage. These days, China is keen to make as many friends as possible, it seems.

All the signs point to a new foreign policy in Beijing. China's late leader Deng Xiaoping was a staunch believer in waiting for the right moment to make an impression. Xi obviously thinks that time has come.

One of Germany's leading experts on China, Frank Sieren has lived in Beijing for 20 years.