After the founding of New China, Beijing once had friends all over the world. But after opening the door to the West, China had to compromise on some international issues and this affected its friendship with some of its friends. It is difficult to please developed countries and developing countries at the same time.

Although harboring the ideal of internationalism can help make friends, it is difficult to sustain the relationships. After all, friendships need the material means to sustain them. China is focusing on economic construction and on the diplomatic front its top priority is to make as many friends as possible.

We should not worry too much about whether there is genuine friendship between countries. As Lord Palmerston said, nations have no permanent allies or permanent enemies, only permanent interests. This is probably still an accurate portrayal of state-to-state relations. But when times are hard, it is really something when a friend takes risks and stands up for you. Self-reliance does not mean China has no need for friends.

As the saying goes, three friends help create a hero. China cannot play a greater role in international affairs, without the understanding and support of more friends.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are the foundations for China's friendships. Friends need to be treated with equality, and mutual benefit and reciprocity can sustain a lasting friendship. China will not harm the interests of others while making friends. Nor does it need to gang up on a third party or form any military alliances that pose a threat to peace.

However, friends should remain faithful to friends and take up the cudgels against an injustice if necessary. China should be careful when choosing its friends. When friends face a common threat, they should support each other and respond to the threat together. This is different from an aggressive military bloc seeking hegemony.

Over the past 30 years, some Chinese "liberals" have taken joining the rich man's club of the developed nations as the supreme glory. Unfortunately, China has not yet been accepted. They said this was because China has not achieved Western-style political democratization. But Russia has fulfilled democratization as a pro-Western stance, and it too has been shut out.

In looking for friends, China should not despise the poor and curry favor with the rich. Being rich and powerful should not be the preconditions for a friendship. China is not a loner as others have said, and it should not feel self-pity seeing the many attendants fawning round the United States.

Although China does not pursue expansionism, the US is anxious about China's rise. In addition, some neighboring countries are anxious about (and jealous of) China's growing strength and it is natural that they are wary of China.

As long as the US keeps finding fault with China, other countries that want to make friends with China have to weigh up the consequences of doing so. In fact, since the US engaged in its smart power diplomacy, China's neighboring security environment has deteriorated rapidly. The US has been busy alienating China from its neighbors. Backed by the US, some countries have tried to escalate their territorial disputes with China with repeated provocations.

So, how can China make more friends? Common economic interest, common security interests and common values have always been the cornerstones of friendly state-to-state relations.

Economic diplomacy has been China's focus in recent years. China has endeavored to reduce or exempt the debts of some African countries, and it has given a lot of economic aid to some neighboring countries.

But the situations developing in Sudan and Myanmar show that China's economic diplomacy cannot get instant results in view of the West's intervention. This requires China to take political and security factors into consideration in its diplomacy. Trade and security should not deviate from each other. Mutual commitments to security are needed.

Some advocate China's acceptance of Western values, but picking up phrases from others cannot help China win friends. China should pursue ideals in line with universal human values, and win friends based on these values.

The author is a professor at the School of International Studies,

Renmin University of China.

(China Daily 02/18/2013 page9)