Being benevolent and friendly toward neighboring states

This term comes from Zuo's Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals. It is a principle for handling relations among individuals and between states. Benevolence is the basis for good neighborliness, and both sides should pursue benevolence. As applied to the relations with other states, it cherishes both principle and pragmatism, and reflects the Chinese nation's pursuit of harmonious relations with other nations based on amity.

Speaking at the opening of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in May 2019, Xi Jinping said: For the Chinese civilization, pursuing amity, good neighborliness and harmony is the principle guiding our interactions with other countries. 

China has followed the principles of friendship, good faith, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness in its neighborhood diplomacy, and forged friendships and partnerships with its neighbors to build a community of shared future. This is a true reflection of the ancient philosophy of building friendship with neighbors.

親仁善鄰

“親仁善鄰”出自《左傳》，意為與仁德親近，與鄰邦友好，是個(gè)人和國家都應(yīng)該堅(jiān)持的原則。這一理念強(qiáng)調(diào)“親仁”是建立“善鄰”關(guān)系的基礎(chǔ)，即雙方都應(yīng)當(dāng)共同遵循仁德，體現(xiàn)了原則性和務(wù)實(shí)性相統(tǒng)一的國際關(guān)系理念，展現(xiàn)了中華民族崇尚“仁”與“協(xié)和萬邦”的基本精神。

2019年5月，習(xí)近平在亞洲文明對話大會開幕式上指出，親仁善鄰、協(xié)和萬邦是中華文明一貫的處世之道。中國秉持親誠惠容理念和與鄰為善、以鄰為伴的周邊外交方針，深化同周邊國家關(guān)系，打造周邊命運(yùn)共同體，充分體現(xiàn)了這一傳統(tǒng)智慧。