550 { China’s Quest
states on the basis of their social system, form of government, and values.
Partnerships were intended to exclude such distinctions and recognize that each
country had the right to choose its own developmental path and social-political
model. Declarations of partnership were intended to delegitimize such distinc-
tions. Differences of values and institutions were normal and unobjectionable
and should be tolerated. China’s partners should accept diversity and not imag-
ine that one set of values or institutions could be used to judge other countries,
draw distinctions among them, or interfere in their internal affairs. Differences
in social systems and values should not affect the healthy development of
state-to-state relations. Countries should respect the choices of other countries
made on the basis of their national conditions and historical experience.
Partnerships were also intended as invitations to the leaders of other
countries, especially important countries, to identify common interests with
China and seek cooperation with China in these areas. Use of terms such as
“centuries” were used to signify China’s hopes for long-term, stable coopera-
tive relations to deal with a wide range of problems, some of which were not
yet known. These problems were to be dealt with on the basis of equality,
mutual respect, and mutual benefit. Partnerships were also intended to assure
China’s neighbors that China did not constitute a threat and would not do so
in even when China’s national power became greater.
China’s strategic partnerships would make it more difficult for Washington
to line up countries against China, should the United States decide to do that.
Beijing was waging a political struggle against a possible US-led new Cold
War against the PRC. When doing this Beijing was careful to proclaim that
its partnerships were not directed against any third country, i.e. the United
States. Such disclaimers were typically a part of the declarations of Beijing’s
various partnerships.UNPKOs and MultilateralismConfiguration of UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO) became another
venue for China’s struggle against unipolarity and interference in the internal
affairs of sovereign states. The nature of UNPKO changed dramatically with
the end of the Cold War, and Beijing saw that shift as further strengthening
the position of “the West led by the United States” in overriding strong state
sovereignty norms.
For its first ten years in the UN, the PRC did not participate in UNPKO,
neither voting on these issues in Security Council deliberations, nor pay-
ing the annual PKO dues assessed by the UN, nor contributing personnel
for U NPKO.^43 China’s position began to change in 1981, when it began to
vote in favor of various PKO and pay its PKO annual assessment. China’s
stance changed further in 1989, when it began contributing personnel to