How new-found trust between the Vatican and Beijing should inspire Chinese and US trade negotiators
- The Vatican’s chief negotiator in China has spoken of how building trust between the two sides involves avoiding doctrinal positions in favour of solving practical problems. China and the US might take a leaf out of the cardinal’s book
What’s more, in this process, the representatives of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church, appear to have brewed a cup or two of utilitarian trust for one another. This was evident in an interview with Rome’s lead negotiator by the Italian sinologist Francesco Sisci.
The signing of the provisional agreement “constitutes the point of arrival of a long journey, but it is above all a starting point”, said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. He added that “there are elements which demonstrate an increased trust between the two sides” and that “we have to journey together, because only in this way will we be able to heal the wounds and misunderstandings of the past in order to show the world that even starting from positions that are far apart, we can reach fruitful agreements.”
In diplomacy, the playing field must be drained of opposing dogma: moral bifurcation only serves to keep both sides’ feet planted on the ground they started with, vacating the possibility of movement and nullifying the modification of differences.
Cardinal Parolin elaborated: “In dialogue, neither of the two sides gives up its own identity or what is essential for carrying out its own task. China and the Holy See are not discussing theories about their respective systems nor do they want to reopen questions which by now belong to history. Instead we are looking for practical solutions which concern the lives of real people who desire to practice their faith peacefully and offer a positive contribution to their own country.”
Perhaps the Xi administration can take one harmless homily from Pope Francis’ chief diplomat without seeming to abandon the gospel of Marx and converting to Matthew’s. Parolin says the Catholic Church consciously chose not to negotiate from a standpoint of moral superiority.
That sort of street-smart Catholic secularism reflects the view that it is never a sin to negotiate, as long as you proceed from quiet self-confidence. In its soul, the church may well view the Communist Party as rather removed from godliness, but at the negotiating table, even when you believe God is on your side, it hardly helps the trust-building process to crow about having a superior presence or ideology on your team, especially one the other side cannot see.
China deserves respect. Parolin says Pope Francis “sees China not only as a great country but also as a great culture, rich in history and wisdom. Today China has come to arouse great attention and interest everywhere, especially among young people. The Holy See hopes that China will not be afraid to enter into dialogue with the wider world and that the world’s nations will give credit to the profound aspirations of the Chinese people.”
The dank and cheerless practice of neo-medievalism, whether of the Catholic sort or the Chinese, will lead to no good end. If, today, the Vatican and Beijing do share a common approach, though not remotely common religious beliefs, it is the redemptive qualities of continuing internal reform: making their respective institutions better, not only for themselves but for their people. Once started, stopping makes no sense.
Silly me, but if only God would make two more Parolins – one for each superpower – we might quickly see a diplomatic miracle or two in transpacific relations.
Author and professor Tom Plate is the distinguished scholar of Asian and Pacific Studies at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, a historically Jesuit university