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The Ghost of Asianism in China's Diplomatic Slogans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2025

Craig A. Smith
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Abstract

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Coined in 2013, the year the Belt and Road Initiative was first announced, the slogan ‘Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit, and Inclusiveness’ has become ever more present in the speeches of Chinese officials and diplomats. While the use of such phrases is often equated with earlier Japanese discourse to indicate China's alleged imperialist ambitions, this essay calls for nuance in such comparisons through a reconsideration of the history of ‘Asianist’ diplomatic slogans in twentieth-century China.

Keywords

SlogansAsianismAmity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit, and InclusivenessBelt and Road Initiative
Type
Research Article
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 20 , Issue 17 , October 2022 , e8
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2022

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