Analysis On China’s High-rail Diplomacy Under The Background Of "the Belt And Road Initiative"

Railways have been developing for nearly two hundred years throughout the world, but the development of the traditional railway cannot escape from the decline destiny of a "sunset industry". Until 1964, Japanese built the world’s first high-speed railway in Japan:Shinkansen. It represents a qualitative leap on the continental rail technology, which is gradually capable of incomparable advantages from the aspects of speed, comfort, security and environmental protection. The high-speed railway, firstly invented in Japan, further developed in Europe, but has great changes in China. As the country which has the most complete high-speed rail system, the fastest speed of technological development and the longest operating mileage currently in the world, China also has rich experiences on high-speed railway. Great practice leads to great technology, to some extent, "going out" for China’s high-speed rail has become an established fact.Historically, as a traditional land power, China mainly made connection with the neighboring countries through the ancient "Silk Road", the famous Silk Road was an important trade lane communicating Asia with Europe in history. In 2013, China proposed the initiative "the Belt and Road", as the new trade route connecting Eurasia and the world, "the Belt and Road initiative" is viewed as "China’s new ideas of diplomacy" in the international community. Infrastructure inter-connectivity is the priority area of the construction of "the Belt and Road initiative", Most areas covered by "the Belt and Road initiative" are the starting point of Chinese railway equipments and technologies reaching out to the world. High-speed rail is the core export product of "the Belt and Road", it is an important breakthrough to realize the transformation and updating of China’s domestic economy, which has the power to change the structure of China’s export industry. It also can fulfill the booming worldwide demand for high-speed railway’s construction. When we share China’s achievements on high-speed rail as a diplomatic tool with the world, it can be seen as the new image of China’s modernization, which is from the "made in China" updated into "Wisdom made in China".The concept of high-speed rail diplomacy which this paper defines is mainly composed of following points:(1) High-speed rail diplomacy belongs to a diplomatic tool. In the process of China carrying out high-speed rail "going out" strategy, it is essential for China’s high speed-rail diplomacy to "take the lead" and back it up, when facing circumstances such as foreign propaganda, intergovernmental negotiations, political risks and so on. (2) As a national strategy, China’s high-speed rail diplomacy is a kind diplomacy of based on infrastructure construction, which goal is to serve in the national economic development and strategic planning.(3) The high-speed rail diplomacy aims to build the domestic and national highway traffic network, strengthen regional connectivity. It is not only promoting the domestic economic development and communication among the residents, but also facilitating the world economic development as well as social-cultural communication among different national people. In the direction of development, China’s high-speed rail diplomacy is based on two main lines to put in practice:one is to develop cross-border high-speed rail diplomacy starting from China, the other one is to invest overseas directly, and establish overseas high-speed rail diplomacy towards the international market. Compared with other countries on high-speed rail technology, China’s high-speed rail has the grand strategy of "Belt and Road" as background supporting, a strong thrust of Chinese political leaders to back up, and a good system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which eventually formed a unique high-speed rail diplomacy in China altogether.Along with the development of "the Belt and Road Initiative", China’s high-speed rail diplomacy will be more long-term planning and growing. In this way, it can verify and predict the scientific of our conducting on the high-speed rail diplomacy in the new era. First of all, owing to the strategic planning and development of "the Belt and Road Initiative", China’s high-speed rail diplomacy is the new update of diplomatic form and content under the new situation. It reflects the change of economic diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and the public diplomacy in China, which is not only in theory and content, but also having changes and upgrades in forms and practice. Secondly, it is the theory development and the specific deduction of "the Belt and Road Initiative" to analysis and do some research on China’s high-speed rail diplomacy. Their ultimate goal is consistent, both of they are strategic and tactical unification. Finally, transportation is a kind of strategic resource. With the development of the high-speed rail in China, it can not only help to achieve the advantages of land power, but also can relieve China from the pressure on sea and islands dispute, thus eventually developing China’s high-speed rail into a fulcrum which can balance sea power and the land power in strategy. It is useful to analyze China’s high-speed rail diplomacy under the background of "the Belt and Road initiative", which can provide thinking directions for the current theories of international relation, such as geopolitics, regional integration, regional public goods issues and so on, opening a new perspective to promote the development of international relations on theory and practice.