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Editor's Note: 

The concept of "Hehe" in Chinese culture, with the first "He" embodying harmony, peace and balance and the second representing convergence, unity and cooperation, is central to both the individual and collective mind-set in China. Rooted in thousands of years of philosophy, the idea of "Hehe" serves as a guiding principle for living in harmony with others, nature and oneself. In a broader context, the concept of "Hehe" has significant relevance to the world today, as addressing the global challenges we face in various areas requires the principles that "Hehe" emphasizes. Viewed through a contemporary lens, "Hehe" is a timeless and universal concept that can guide China and the world toward a more harmonious, peaceful and balanced future. The Global Times gathers opinions from experts and scholars around the world to explore the global significance of "Hehe" culture from various perspectives. This is the ninth piece of the series.

Chinese President Xi Jinping once said, "We live in an interdependent world and rise and fall together. With their interests deeply intertwined, all countries need to build maximum consensus for win-win and all-win outcomes." With these remarks, he highlighted the proposition that the world is fundamentally intertwined. 

In contrast, Western international relations "realists" view it as an "either/or" world underpinned by an ontological dualism in which difference must be resolved through conflict. Either the security of one country is safeguarded or that of the other; either security or prosperity; either you or me. 

But, what if there's an alternative to these "either/or" terms?

Rather than perceiving the world through the lens of "either/or," in which the existence of one is a threat to the other, nations could adopt a dialectical perspective in which differences are ever-present and serve as the drivers of perpetual change. Differences can never be completely eliminated. However, they can be transformed through the dynamics of the "unity of opposites." 

China's rich philosophical tradition provides one such alternative. Rather than starting with the notion of "either/or," the philosophical traditions of Daoism insist on the fluid dynamics of "and." Instead of "or," the world can be understood through the prism of "and." The Daoist classic, Dao De Jing, articulates a way of understanding the world as a perpetual process of change. There can be no harmonization without difference; it is a fluid and ever-changing "unity of opposites." 

The dynamics of the world, including the realm of human affairs, can be seen as the ongoing pursuit of an ever-elusive harmony. 

This pursuit is not achieved through the evisceration of difference, but rather through the search for commonalities in the presence of difference. Harmony is fleeting, yet it guides the work of virtuous actors, as the harmonious balance of sameness and difference can be found in what Confucius described as the "golden mean." 

Chinese statecraft exhibits these philosophical characteristics. The fortunes of nations, civilizations and peoples are not dictated by atomized conflict; rather, the fortunes of one are intimately intertwined with the fortunes of others. 

President Xi's three major initiatives - the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative - draw on and extend this tradition in the contemporary context. The framework advocates for the recognition and celebration of difference while simultaneously promoting the notion that there are widespread commonalities in aspirations and interests. 

These three initiatives also draw on another thread in the Chinese philosophical tradition, the Hehe culture. In his work, Zhejiang, China: A New Vision for Development, President Xi observed that Chinese ancestors "created an incomparable culture, a quintessential part of which is the Hehe culture. The first 'He' of Hehe indicates harmony, peace, and balance. The second 'He' indicates convergence, unity, and cooperation. Such inclusiveness is reflected in the traditional thinking of 'valuing harmony and esteeming balance,' 'being understanding and open-minded,' 'embracing the world through virtue,' and 'living in harmony without uniformity.'" 

Chinese statecraft is emerging from the shadows of recent history and the dominance of the dualist methods informed by Western metaphysics and ontology. 

Chinese diplomacy played a pivotal role in facilitating a detente between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran announced on March 10, 2023. This rapprochement took time to develop and bring to reality, requiring a steady mind, strong will and patience. 

Seven years of frozen and hostile relations were ultimately thawed through persistent diplomatic efforts during 2021 and 2022, resulting in the 2023 joint statement on the normalization of diplomatic relations. Given the extended duration of conflict between the two parties, achieving a detente can be considered a significant regional diplomatic breakthrough. The detente was established on the basis of identifying common interests in the face of historic differences. It did not seek to force the parties, through imposed diktats, to accept an externally devised regime; rather it was made possible by the alignment of shared interests. In this case, the conflicting parties were active participants in designing the rapprochement framework and pathways forward.

On July 23, 2024, 14 Palestinian factions signed the Beijing Declaration. Reconciliation talks were facilitated by Beijing to address their differences by focusing on and agreeing upon a common purpose: the post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza and the realization of an independent State of Palestine. In what is otherwise a fractious environment characterized by persistent internecine conflicts, Chinese statecraft emphasized the need to build reconciliation through incremental steps aimed at boosting confidence among the participants while maintaining a focus on the destination. Consensus building does not happen via a "top-down" imperative, but through committed engagement in dialogue. Time and conversation yielded progress.

A similar approach has been advanced in relation to the Ukraine conflict. China did not put forward a "peace plan" to be enforced on disputants on a "take it or leave it" basis; instead, it outlined the necessary issues and conditions that require attention in order to create a space for peace to emerge. China has continued to work with other nations to forge a growing constellation of support and encouragement for the disputants, enabling them to approach peace talks with confidence and in good faith. 

Such an approach stands in stark contrast to that of Western "realism." It's not just a framework of advocacy. As an ontology it paints a dramatically different picture of not only the nature of the world, but also the possibilities and the role of humanity and state agency in enabling the ongoing pursuit of harmony. 

The author is an adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology, a senior fellow at Taihe Institute and a former advisor to Kevin Rudd, former Australian prime minister. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn