The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted a public talk titled “China’s Foreign Policy After the 19th National Congress of CPC and its International Relations in the 21st Century,” on June 26, 2018. The guest speaker at the event was Mr. Jin Canrong, Professor and Associate Dean at School of International Studies, Renmin University, Beijing. Other distinguished guests at the talk included Mr. You Yi, the Cultural Counsellor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and Mr. Lijian Zhao, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.
Ambassador Khalid Mahmood
Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman ISSI, in his opening remarks welcomed and introduced the newly appointed Director General of ISSI, Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry. He went on to welcome the distinguished speaker, Professor Jin Canrong and esteemed guests. Ambassador Mahmood said that Professor Canrong’s area of research deals mainly with China’s foreign policy and the US foreign relations. Referring to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held from October 18-24, 2017, Ambassador Mahmood said that the CPC congress reports and discussions offer an assessment of China’s external environment, national development agenda and set broad priorities for its foreign and defence policies for the next five years.
Ambassador Mahmood said that the 19th CPC Congress commenced with a report by the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, who also heads the CPC. President Xi called for a great “national rejuvenation” and stressed that “China’s international standing has mounted as never before,” during the past five years. The 19th CPC National Congress offered some very significant proclamations that not only reiterated continuity in many elements of China’s foreign policy under the reforms but also pointed to some new leitmotifs.
