Benevolence and Friendliness Towards Neighboring Countries

The original quote from Zuo's Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals (Zuo Zhuan) reads, "To be benevolent and friendly towards neighboring countries is a fundamental policy a country should pursue." Practicing benevolence and kindness towards neighboring countries is considered a state treasure. The ancient Chinese believed that treating others with kindness and friendliness would inspire reciprocal behavior. Chinese people have always cherished peace and advocated benevolence over hegemony or the use of force. For millennia, ancient China was more advanced than the rest of the world, yet it rarely embarked on expansionist expeditions against neighboring countries. Most of the time it maintained a policy of pacification and friendship with its neighbors. For this reason, the highly developed civilization of ancient China facilitated  a wide range of long-lasting political, economic, and cultural exchange with many countries and regions that left a profound mark on human history and civilizational interaction.

The same civilizational trait was passed on to contemporary China. China's diplomacy has always aligned with that of every peace-loving country, recognizing a shared destiny and advocating helping neighbors in need and promoting civilizational intermingling through peaceful dialogue.

親仁善鄰

親仁善鄰出自《左傳·隱公六年》，原文是“親仁善鄰，國之寶也”，意為親近仁義之道，與鄰國友好相處，這是國家的寶貴財富。中國古人認為，以仁愛、友善的態度對待他人的人，也能夠受到對方同樣的對待。中華民族歷來愛好和平，主張以仁義之道對待其他國家的“王道”，反對以武力進行征伐的“霸道”。在這種理念之下，中國雖然在古代曾經長期領先于世界，卻很少主動向周邊國家實行征伐擴張， 而是以安邊為本、睦鄰為貴。正因如此，古代中國以其高度發達的文明成就、仁愛友善的交往之道吸引了世界上很多國家和地區主動來華，開展長時段、大規模的政治、經濟、文化交流活動，構成了人類文明交往史上的華麗篇章。

當代中國同樣延續了這樣的文明基因。與鄰邦之間命運與共、守望相助，與不同文明之間交流交融、和平對話，是當代中國外交一貫的主張和做法，也是世界熱愛和平的國家一致認同的理念。