BEIJING -- In 2003, China formulated the "
Peaceful Rise," a foreign policy framework for how it would re-emerge as an influential player in the new multilateral order. The most recent demonstration of how Beijing is putting this vision into practice is the
ongoing four-nation tour to South Asia and the Asia-Pacific by China's vice president and potential future leader, Xi Jinping.
Xi has visited Bangladesh, Laos, New Zealand and Australia, with a separate visit to Myanmar promised in the near future. Taken together, the deals he has signed on the tour shed light on China's principal strategic objectives in one of its key foreign policy arenas. Beijing's emphasis on regional development further demonstrates the potential of its economy-first approach to diplomacy, which seems not only to meet key national objectives, but is also greatly strengthening its geopolitical standing and influence throughout the Southern Hemisphere. ...