China's Economic Diplomacy:Concept,Organization,Implementation Mechanisms and the BRI

Based on the existing research regarding China’s economic diplomacy,this study creates a theoretical structure for economic diplomacy with Chinese characteristics that encompasses soft power,the two competitive concepts of justified ought and self interests,and the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI).By introducing soft power,this paper argues that the goal of economic diplomacy with Chinese characteristics for the new era is to achieve the conversion of hard power to soft power.Unlike the“carrot and stick”principle often followed by Western powers in their economic diplomacy with political strings attached,the conversion between hard power and soft power in China’s economic diplomacy hinges upon the two competitive concepts of justified ought and self interests,which is the basic principle that guides China’s economic diplomacy overall.We argue that in creating an implementation mechanism for China’s economic diplomacy,policymakers must consider China’s unique national condition as a large economy not yet rich in per capita terms,while drawing upon the experiences of other major nations.

Saudi Arabia’s Economic Diplomacy through Foreign Aid: Dynamics, Objectives and Mode

Economic diplomacy is an important part of a country’s overall diplomacy,and foreign aid is an essential tool in a country’s economic diplomacy.With the accumulation of wealth,Saudi Arabia uses its petrodollars to carry out economic diplomacy,and by increasing the amount of aid and expanding aid targets,it achieves multiple goals.This article analyzes the policy objectives of Saudi Arabia’s foreign aid from the perspectives of political,economic and religious dynamics,and reviews the main models in this field,namely,strategic foreign aid,development-oriented foreign aid and humanitarian foreign aid.The author believes that Saudi Arabia’s foreign aid is double-sided.On the one hand,it actively implements the development goals of South-South cooperation and contributes to the promotion of global economic recovery and development;on the other hand,it promotes Wahhabi expansion and development,bringing certain threats to the world’s traditional security.However,since 2015,the Saudi government has begun to control,regulate,and minimize religious promotion to reduce certain threats that Wahhabism has generated.

Present-Day Japan’s Economic Diplomacy Toward Uzbekistan and Its Development

Located in Central Asia connecting Eurasia,Uzbekistan not only occupies an important geographical position,but also has abundant energy resources,which makes it Japan’s important economic and diplomatic target country in Central Asia.Since the unfolding of the new century,Japan’s economic diplomacy with Uzbekistan has gone through several stages of development,from initial contact to gradual maturity,and has been undergoing twists and turns.Since Shinzo Abe came to power for the second time in 2012,Japan’s economic diplomacy with Uzbekistan has deepened significantly,showing more distinct characteristics of changes,including the substantial increase of the amount of aid to the Uzbek government,attaching importance to bilateral economic and trade cooperation,and flexibly utilising the‘Central AsiatJapan’regional cooperation mechanism.The strategic considerations behind these changes and adjustments are to deeply participate in the regional cooperation in Central Asia by building a bilateral economic and trade relationship network,ensure the security of energy and resource supply in the post-pandemic era,realise the strategy of becoming a great power,and balance the forces of foreign powers.

The Belt and Road Initiative in Vision of the International System——from the Perspective of National Economic Diplomacy

The Belt and Road Initiative is China's magnificent economic diplomacy practice in the new era, does not intend to challenge and replace the existing international system, but helps promote its reform and improvement. There is a close interaction between the economic diplomacy and the international system. The economic diplomacy operates in a specific international system and imposes a major impact on the maintenance and changes of the international system. Meanwhile, the Belt and Road construction will also face some challenges of this system. To make efforts to create conditions for keeping a "balanced" economic diplomacy will effectively resolve this system risks faced by the Belt and Road Initiative.

Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy in the New World Order System: Foreign Policy Direction and its Determinants

Similar to other countries in the world,there is a linkage between domestic and international actor forces involved in the formulation of Ethiopian foreign policy,since 1991.Obviously,this is due to the fact that foreign policy and domestic politics are interdependent and could spill over into each other.As the goal of every country’s foreign policy is promoting national interest,Ethiopian foreign policy among other things achieving economic development through economic diplomacy.This study aimed to explore determinants of Ethiopian foreign policy in the post 1991.Methodologically,it employed secondary source of data collection and data analysis.The result of this study would shade light on the set of factors that determine Ethiopian foreign policy with the change of global world order from bipolar to multi polar system.It highlighted the challenges and opportunities faced in realizing policy goals by taking into account certain bilateral relations Ethiopia has as case study.The change of global political order witnessed within the end of Cold war has also implications on the Ethiopian foreign policy.As a result of New World Order system,Ethiopian foreign policy orientation is changed from purely stubborn Marxist ideology,to flexible developmental state with numerous alliances,paying great emphasis for economic development,at the expense of security issue.

Politics of Oil and Natural Gas vis-à-vis the Foreign Policy of Iran

This study discusses the relationship of Iran’s oil and gas resources with its foreign policy.Because these resources play a major role in government power,they serve as a major focus of Iran’s governmental policy and relations with other countries.Our review led us to conclude that despite Iran’s abundant reserves􀃼the world’s fourth-largest crude oil and largest natural gas reserves-international powers influenced the country’s foreign policy sufficiently for Iran to decrease its oil production.The authors will demonstrate how fluctuations in oil and natural gas production were the outcome of a globalized structure that affected instability in Iran’s foreign policy in specific ways.Our conceptual investigation of energy politics after the 1979 revolution revealed different policies that caused numerous concerns for the new government.While Iran’s politicians strove to retain the Islamic Republic above all,both doctrine and foreign policy revolved circuitously from a radical 1979 Revolution position to renewed radical position in 2005 with two intermediate shifts in position.One was pragmatic shift in the late 1980s,and the second took a more moderate tone in late 1990s by focusing almost entirely on the production of oil and natural gas.