经济外交,是指世界各国以最大限度地促进经济合作、扩大和维护经济利益为出发点来确定外交活动的目的,制定对外政策,并开展相应的外交活动。在冷战期间由于受美苏两极格局的制约,经济外交作用不太突出,主要用于苏东集团和美欧集团内部的经济合作与协调。冷战结束后,国际形势趋于缓和,经济全球化进程加快,各国顺应全球化发展潮流,纷纷调整国内政策,将发展本国经济,提高以经济、科技为核心内容的综合国力和改善人民生活作为国内的中心任务,为实现此目标,各国日益重视运用经济外交来促进经济合作,加速本国经济发展。经济外交在全球化进程中表现出一系列的鲜明特征。 Economic diplomacy refers to the objective of establishing diplomatic activities, making foreign policies and carrying out corresponding diplomatic activities with the countries in the world starting from the point of maximizing economic cooperation and expanding and safeguarding economic interests. During the Cold War, due to the restriction of the bipolar structure of the United States and the Soviet Union, the role of economic diplomacy was not so prominent. It was mainly used for the economic cooperation and coordination within the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the United States and Europe. Since the end of the Cold War, the international situation has tended to ease and the process of economic globalization has accelerated. All countries, following the globalization trend of development, have adjusted their domestic policies one after another to develop their own national economy and improve the overall national strength with economic and technological achievements as the core and improve people’s living standards. In order to achieve this goal, all countries place increasing emphasis on using economic diplomacy to promote economic cooperation and accelerate their economic development. Economic diplomacy shows a series of distinctive features in the process of globalization.