The Value Implications of Major-Country Diplomatic Discourse with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era

Diplomatic discourse is an institutionalized official discourse form of sovereign states, whose core focus is the negotiation of interests and policy declarations under the norms of international law, characterized by rigor, strategic stability, and institutional constraints. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, China’s major-country diplomatic discourse has gradually developed into a complete system with a unique style, becoming an important tool for conveying Chinese concepts, presenting China’s image, and participating in global governance.

外交话语是由主权国家建制化的官方话语形态，核心聚焦国际法准则的利益交涉与政策宣示，具有严谨性、战略稳定与制度约束性特征。党的十八大以来，在习近平外交思想的科学指引下，中国的大国外交话语逐步发展形成体系完整、独具特色的风格体系，成为传递中国理念、展现中国形象、参与全球治理的重要工具。

Integrating the Ancient and the Modern: Manifesting Civilizational Heritage in Cultural Inheritance

融通古今 在文化传承中彰显文明底蕴

Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy is rooted in the soil of fine traditional Chinese culture. By integrating the wisdom of ancient sages and endowing it with new connotations through modern interpretation, it enhances the weightiness and cultural influence of discourse expression, demonstrates the moral pursuit and ethical commitment of Chinese diplomacy, and continuously consolidates the broadest popular identity for building a community with a shared future for mankind. The ideological essence contained in fine traditional Chinese culture is presented through expressions easily understood and accepted by the international community, thereby achieving the inheritance of fine traditional Chinese culture.

习近平外交思想植根于中华优秀传统文化土壤，通过融汇先贤智慧，以现代性阐释赋予其新内涵，增强了话语表达的厚重感与文化影响力，彰显了中国外交的道德追求和道义担当，为推动构建人类命运共同体不断凝聚最广泛的民意认同。中华优秀传统文化蕴含的思想精髓，通过易于为国际社会所理解和接受的表达方式呈现，实现了对中华优秀传统文化的传承。

General Secretary Xi Jinping often borrows classical sayings to vividly illustrate contemporary norms of international relations. He uses “When the orange tree is planted south of the Huai River, it yields sweet oranges; when planted north of the Huai River, it yields bitter trifoliate oranges” to vividly explain that the development path chosen by each country must conform to its own national conditions and cannot be blindly copied. He uses the poetic line “The wind stirs white waves into a thousand blossoms; wild geese in the blue sky form a single line” as a metaphor for members of an organization to unite in an orderly manner and move forward in coordination. He also uses “When you befriend the right people, even a thousand miles apart, you share a common aspiration; your bond is stronger than glue and harder than metal and stone” to describe how the BRICS countries, separated by mountains and seas, transcend differences and disagreements, find the right path of cooperation and development, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. Through the modern interpretation of traditional philosophical concepts such as “harmony and unity” and “harmony in diversity,” General Secretary Xi Jinping systematically proposes the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, advocates the correct view of righteousness and benefit that “balances righteousness and benefit, prioritizing righteousness over benefit,” and endows fine traditional Chinese culture with new contemporary radiance. These discourse expressions, deeply rooted in the historical context of Chinese civilization, provide enlightening path references for contemplating the common development of humanity and serve as directional guidance for answering the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times.

习近平总书记常借古典名句来形象说明当代国际关系准则，用“橘生淮南则为橘，生于淮北则为枳”生动阐释各国选择的发展道路必须符合自身国情，不能盲目照搬；用“风翻白浪花千片，雁点青天字一行”的诗句比喻成员间应团结有序、协同前行；又以“交得其道，千里同好，固于胶漆，坚于金石”形容山海相隔的金砖五国超越差异和分歧，找准了合作之道、发展之路，实现了互利共赢。习近平总书记通过对“和合”“和而不同”等传统哲学观念的现代阐释，系统提出构建人类命运共同体理念，倡导“义利相兼，以义为先”的正确义利观，使中华优秀传统文化焕发新的时代光辉。这些厚植于中华文明历史脉络的话语表达，为思考人类共同发展提供了具有启示性意义的路径参照，是回答中国之问、世界之问、人民之问、时代之问的方向指引。

Skillfully Using Metaphors: Conveying Strategic Connotations with Vivid Imagery

善用比喻 用生动意象传递战略内涵

Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, China’s diplomatic strategy in the New Era has abandoned the old thinking of alliance-based confrontation and zero-sum games. It uses vivid metaphors and plain language to transcend cultural differences and language barriers, transforming profound strategic thoughts and complex geopolitics into vivid images that allow people of all countries to more intuitively understand China’s foreign policy. This discursive practice, while lowering the threshold for international understanding, also completes the emotional mobilization of diplomatic concepts, giving China’s propositions greater theoretical depth and communicative warmth.

在习近平外交思想指导下，新时代中国外交战略摒弃了结盟对抗、零和博弈的旧思维，以生动比喻和朴实语言跨越文化差异与语言障碍，将深邃的战略思想、复杂的地缘政治转化为让各国人民能够更加直观地理解中国外交政策的鲜活意象。这种话语实践在降低国际理解门槛的同时，也完成了对外交理念的情感动员，使中国主张更具理论深度与传播温度。

First, constructing a cognitive framework. Regarding major-power relations affecting the international situation, General Secretary Xi Jinping uses the statement, “When China and the United States cooperate well, they can become the ballast stone for world stability and a booster for world peace,” transforming abstract geostrategic balance into a concrete image of physical stability, thereby emphasizing the structural significance of Sino-US relations for the global system and their importance for global economic development. Second, elucidating value positions. “When countries are harmonious, the world is at peace; when countries are in conflict, the world is in chaos” vividly explains that countries should build partnerships featuring dialogue over confrontation and partnership over alliance. “One man’s meat is another man’s poison” [1]1 “萝卜青菜，各有所爱” (literally, “turnips and greens, each has its own preference”) is a Chinese idiom equivalent to “to each his own” or “one man’s meat is another man’s poison.” signifies the legitimate logic of civilizational diversity, indicating that civilizations should embrace a spirit of inclusiveness. Only discourse expressions that possess both Chinese characteristics and global significance can more easily evoke broad resonance in the international community. Third, depicting development visions. Drawing “freehand brushwork” and “fine brushwork” outlines the strategic transformation of jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative from overall layout to focusing on key areas and intensive cultivation. These image-rich discourse expressions transform grand concepts such as “a community with a shared future for mankind” and “a new type of international relations” into perceptible, resonant, and communicable vivid narratives. This is not only an innovative development of international relations theory but also an innovative act to bridge human cultural divides and break down spiritual barriers.

一是构建认知框架。针对大国关系牵动国际形势，习近平总书记用“中美两国合作好了，可以成为世界稳定的压舱石、世界和平的助推器”将抽象的地缘战略平衡转化为具象的物理稳定性意象，以此强调中美两国关系对全球体系的结构性意义、对全球经济发展的重要性。二是阐释价值立场。“国家和，则世界安；国家斗，则世界乱”生动阐释了国家之间要构建对话不对抗、结伴不结盟的伙伴关系；“萝卜青菜，各有所爱”喻示文明多样性的正当逻辑，表明文明之间应秉持包容精神。唯有兼具中国特色又具世界意义的话语表达，才能更容易引起国际社会的广泛共鸣。三是描绘发展愿景。绘制“大写意”与“工笔画”勾勒出共建“一带一路”由总体布局到聚焦重点、深耕细作的战略转型。这些富有意象的话语表达，将“人类命运共同体”“新型国际关系”等宏大理念转化为可感知、可共鸣、可传播的生动叙事，这既是对国际关系理论的创新发展，更是消弭人类文化隔阂、打破精神壁垒的创新之举。

Sincere and Heartfelt: Promoting People-to-People Bonds through Cultural Exchanges

情真意切 以人文交流促进民心相通

Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy adheres to a people-centered value orientation, taking “The key to state-to-state relations lies in the affinity between the peoples, and the key to affinity between the peoples lies in mutual understanding” as its core practical logic. By emotionally and embodiedly telling China’s story well, it transforms grand strategic narratives into everyday discourse, forming a “chatting like neighbors” style of discourse expression and a ripple-effect communication pattern, thereby enhancing the precision and effectiveness of communication.

习近平外交思想坚持以人民为中心的价值取向，将“国之交在于民相亲，民相亲在于心相通”作为核心实践逻辑。通过情感化、具身化讲好中国故事，将宏大战略叙事向日常生活话语转化，形成“拉家常”式的话语表达与涟漪式的传播效应，提升了传播的精准性和有效性。

First, narrative storytelling and empathy mechanisms. By telling individual stories containing common human emotional elements, such as the struggle stories of young Arabs in Yiwu, the historical memory of the “Hump Route,” [2]2 The “Hump Route” refers to the airlift route over the eastern Himalayas used by the United States and its allies to supply the Chinese Nationalist government during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). and transnational medical assistance, it concretizes inter-state relations into “encounters between people,” achieving a shift in meaning from “stories of others” to “our stories.” Second, the embedding of cultural symbols and localized expression. During visits abroad, General Secretary Xi Jinping actively integrates and uses the linguistic symbols of the host countries. For example, he greets with the Swahili word “Habari,” expresses thanks with “Asante sana,” and uses Latin American proverbs like “Old friends and old wine are best” and African proverbs like “A river has its source, and deep water comes from it” to describe the profound friendship between countries. This not only demonstrates respect for foreign cultures but also dissolves cultural distance through the localized grafting of language, achieving the effect that “words must be popular to spread far, and language must touch the heart to move people.” Third, personal narratives and the diversified construction of the leader’s image. The leader’s role expands from “national representative” to “old friend,” “cultural participant,” and “flesh-and-blood individual,” enhancing the three-dimensionality and credibility of the leader’s image. Fourth, the national transfer of people’s livelihood and the universalization of values. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that “The people’s aspiration for a better life is our goal,” and on international occasions, he expresses deep concern for domestic livelihood issues, stating, “Lifting all impoverished people out of poverty is a commitment the Chinese government has made to its people, and it is the matter I am most concerned about and have devoted the most energy to.” This kind of discourse, which places domestic political discourse in an international context and elevates it into a livelihood discourse with universal significance, reflects the coherence of the “domestic-international” discourse system.

一是故事化叙事与共情机制。通过讲述阿拉伯青年人在义乌的奋斗故事、“驼峰航线”的历史记忆、跨国医疗救助等具有人类共同情感元素的个体故事，将国家间关系具象为“人与人的相遇”，实现从“他者故事”到“我们的故事”的意义转换。二是文化符号的嵌入与在地化表达。在出国访问期间，习近平总书记主动融入并运用对象国的语言符号，比如，用斯瓦希里语“哈巴里”打招呼、“阿桑特民萨那”表示感谢，用拉美谚语“朋友要老，好酒要陈”、非洲谚语“河有源泉水才深”等形容国与国之间的深厚友谊等，不仅体现了对异域文化的尊重，更通过语言的本土化嫁接消解文化距离，达成“话须通俗方传远，语必关风始动人”的效果。三是个人叙事与领袖形象的多元构建。领导人角色从“国家代表”扩展为“老朋友”“文化参与者”与“有血有肉的个体”，增强了领袖形象的立体感和可信度。四是民生生活的国家迁移与价值普遍化。习近平总书记强调“人民对美好生活的向往，就是我们的奋斗目标”，并在国际场合表达对国内民生问题的深切牵挂，指出“让所有贫困人口脱贫，是中国政府对人民作出的承诺，也是我牵挂最多、花精力最多的一件事情”。这种将国内政治话语置于国际语境中阐释，使之升华为具有普遍意义的民生话语，体现出“国内—国际”话语体系的连贯性。

Combining Firmness and Flexibility: Demonstrating Resolve and Wisdom in Adhering to Principles

刚柔并济 在原则坚守中展现定力智慧

Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy coordinates development and security, adheres to bottom-line thinking and strategic confidence, and uses the historical initiative spirit as a method. In a complex international environment, it constructs a major-country diplomatic discourse system with Chinese characteristics that combines firmness and strategic flexibility. This system not only effectively safeguards national interests and national dignity, creating a stable external environment for China’s peaceful development, but also provides an important reference at the theoretical level for the stability and transformation of the international order.

习近平外交思想统筹发展和安全，坚持底线思维与战略自信，以历史主动精神为方法，在复杂国际环境中构建起兼具坚定性与策略性的中国特色大国外交话语体系，不仅有效维护了国家利益和民族尊严，为中国的和平发展营造了稳定的外部环境，还在理论层面为国际秩序的稳定与变革提供了重要参照。

First, the bottom-line narrative of sovereignty defense. On issues involving core interests such as safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, Chinese diplomatic discourse abandons vague expressions and establishes inviolable red lines through concrete formulations such as “not making deals” and “not swallowing bitter fruits.” This clear bottom-line narrative is a direct response to Western discursive traps like “a strong country is bound to seek hegemony,” and transcends the narrative logic of Western modernity. Second, the discursive balance between struggle and construction. In the face of rampant hegemonism and power politics, especially in response to negative remarks that arbitrarily disparage and maliciously slander China, it is necessary to refute them in a timely manner, letting the correct voice drown them out, and adhering to the unity of “daring to struggle” and “being good at struggle.” Through the metaphor that China’s opening up “is not about building one’s own backyard garden, but about building a garden shared by all countries,” China’s development is embedded in the context of global common development. This discursive practice breaks through the binary framework of “conflict-cooperation” in international relations theory. Third, the dual orientation of discursive efficacy. By internally consolidating the social consensus on “the aspiration for a better life” and strengthening the people’s identification with the development path, and externally constructing inclusive narratives such as “the largest common denominator,” [3]3 “The largest common denominator” (最大同心圆) is a Chinese political metaphor for maximizing consensus and uniting the broadest possible range of forces around shared goals, often used in the context of the united front. China’s interest expression is linked with the demands of various countries, enabling China’s development to better benefit the world and thus serve as a “stabilizer” for world peace. This dual-oriented discursive construction avoids both the closure of nationalist discourse and the universalist limitations of liberal discourse. These discursive arts of combining toughness with flexibility embody “strategic confidence” and “strategic resolve,” and manifest the principled, resilient, and proactive nature of Chinese diplomacy.

一是主权维护的底线叙事。在维护国家主权、安全、发展利益等涉及核心利益问题上，中国外交话语摒弃模糊表达，通过“不做交易”“不吞苦果”等具象化表达，确立不可逾越的红线。这种清晰的底线叙事，是对“国强必霸”等西方话语陷阱的直面回应，超越了西方现代性叙事逻辑。二是斗争性与建设性的话语平衡。面对霸权主义、强权政治甚嚣尘上，尤其针对肆意唱衰、恶意中伤中国的一些负面言论，要及时反驳，让正确的声音盖过他们，坚持“敢于斗争”与“善于斗争”相统一。通过以中国对外开放“不是要营造自己的后花园，而是要建设各国共享的百花园”的隐喻，将中国发展嵌入全球共同发展的脉络。这种话语实践突破了国际关系理论中“冲突—合作”的二元框架。三是话语效能的双重面向。通过对内凝聚“美好生活向往”的社会共识，强化民众对发展道路的认同，对外构建“最大同心圆”等包容性叙事，将中国的利益表达与各国诉求相衔接，让中国发展更好惠及世界，从而成为世界和平的“稳定器”。这种双重面向的话语建构，既避免了民族主义话语的封闭性，也克服了自由主义话语的普世主义局限。这些刚柔并济的话语艺术，体现出“战略自信”与“战略定力”，彰显了中国外交的原则性、坚韧性和主动性。

Leading the Trend: Supplying Global Public Goods with Chinese Wisdom

引领潮流 以中国智慧供给全球公共产品

Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy is grounded in a global vision, advocates a global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, and puts forward a series of global governance discourses with the attributes of public goods. This has achieved a systematic transformation from “rule taker” to “idea contributor,” promoted a shift from “Western-centrism” to the Global South, and injected new momentum into driving changes in the global discursive landscape and advancing the construction of a new form of human civilization.

习近平外交思想立足全球视野，倡导共商共建共享的全球治理观，提出一系列具有公共产品属性的全球治理话语，实现了由“规则接受者”到“理念贡献者”的系统转型，促进“西方中心主义”向全球南方的转向，为驱动全球话语版图变革，推动构建人类文明新形态注入了新动能。

First, the supply of ideas. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that no country can alone address the many challenges facing mankind, nor can any country retreat into a self-enclosed island. This is not a simple critique of the existing order, but a discursive consensus based on diverse civilizations. Therefore, taking the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind as the meta-narrative, global issues such as climate change, geopolitical conflicts, terrorism, and refugee crises are integrated into an organic whole, reflecting a systematic grasp of global problems. Second, institutional initiatives. China has proposed a series of major concepts that lead the trend, including the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. These focus on building consensus through project cooperation, experience sharing, and other means, reshaping international interaction networks, thereby forming an interconnected overall framework and constituting a clearly layered and mutually supportive discourse system. The reason these initiatives can be transformed into international public goods lies in their functionality, openness, and adaptability, which manifest a profound concern for the future and destiny of all humanity and a deep care for the well-being and security of people in all countries. Third, action orientation. China always maintains a sober understanding and profound insight into the world situation, proceeds from the overall interests of humanity, and promotes the evolution of global governance from “institutional hegemony” to “institutional symbiosis.” It emphasizes the participation capacity of developing countries in setting the global governance agenda and promotes the transformation of the Global South from a discursive object to a discursive subject.

一是理念供给。习近平总书记指出，没有哪个国家能够独自应对人类面临的各种挑战，也没有哪个国家能够退回到自我封闭的孤岛。这并非对现行秩序的简单批判，而是基于多元文明基础上的话语共识。因此，以构建人类命运共同体理念作为元叙事，将气候变化、地缘冲突、恐怖主义、难民危机等全球性问题整合为有机整体，体现了对全球性问题的系统性把握。二是制度倡议。中国提出的共建“一带一路”倡议和全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议、全球文明倡议、全球治理倡议等一系列引领潮流的重大理念，注重以项目合作、经验共享等方式凝聚共识，重塑国际互动网络，由此形成了互联互通的整体框架，构成了层次分明、相互支撑的话语体系。这些倡议之所以能够转化为国际公共产品，就在于其具备功能性、开放性与可嫁接性，彰显了对全人类前途和命运的深刻关注、对各国人民福祉和安危的深切关怀。三是行动导向。中国始终保持对世界形势的清醒认识和深刻洞察，从人类整体利益出发，推动全球治理从“制度霸权”向“制度共生”演进。强调发展中国家在全球治理议程设置方面的参与能力，推动全球南方从话语客体向话语主体的转变。

In summary, major-country diplomacy discourse is a key medium for national strategic communication and value expression. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, China’s major-country diplomacy discourse has formed a unique style that integrates China and the rest of the world, possessing both cultural heritage and the spirit of the times, and has formed a set of diplomatic discourse systems with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner. In the future, it is necessary to continue to deeply grasp the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, continuously promote the innovative expression and effective dissemination of major-country diplomacy discourse, and provide more solid discursive support for enabling the world to understand China, understand the Chinese people, understand the Communist Party of China, and understand the Chinese nation, and for enhancing international understanding and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

总之，大国外交话语是国家战略传播与价值表达的关键媒介。在习近平外交思想的指导下，中国的大国外交话语形成了融通中外、既具文化底蕴又富时代精神的独特风格，形成了一套具有中国特色、中国风格、中国气派的外交话语体系。未来，要继续深入把握习近平外交思想的世界观与方法论，不断推进大国外交话语的创新表达与有效传播，为使世界读懂中国、读懂中国人民、读懂中国共产党、读懂中华民族，为增进国际理解、推动构建人类命运共同体提供更为坚实的话语支撑。

(The author is Vice President of Sichuan International Studies University)

（作者系四川外国语大学副校长）