Is Xi Jinping credible when he says Beijing prioritizes “respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries”?

China has five principles governing its foreign relations, the first and most important of which is mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. First established in 1949, the Five Principles are the basis of China's Foreign Relations Law, passed in 2023 (Art. 4), and are at the heart of Xi Jinping's Global Security Initiative, which prioritizes “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries” and states that “only dialogue and consultation are effective in resolving differences.”

BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 01: Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he drives after inspecting the troops during a parade to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China at Tiananmen Square in 1949, on October 1, 2019 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

The Foreign Relations Law, for example, states that China “develops relations with surrounding nations in accordance with the concepts of sincerity, tolerance and the policy of being a good neighbor and cooperating with neighbors” (Art. 18).

Despite this, China illegitimately owns part of its territories.

In the South China Sea, it seized some disputed islands with the Philippines, which were then militarized. It stripped Hong Kong of territorial autonomy and then held sham elections. It maintains that Taiwan, a free democracy, has always been Chinese and should remain part of it, and therefore systematically threatens its military reunification.

Beijing uses armed conflict tactics to pursue such goals. They are part of China's broader military theory that sees close combat confrontation operations as an effective means of achieving political objectives. These tactics are particularly evident in the pursuit of territorial and maritime claims in the South and East China Seas, as well as along the border with India and Bhutan. In recent years, the PLA has also increased patrols around Taiwan, using bombers, fighters and surveillance aircraft.

The Chinese Coast Guard (CCG), subordinate to the People's Armed Police (PAP), is responsible for a wide range of missions in the area of maritime rights protection, including enforcement of sovereignty claims, surveillance, protection of fishery resources, combating smuggling and general law enforcement.