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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Review of China's Diplomatic Outcomes This Year and Preview of the Next Priorities

2020-08-10

 

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COVID-19, which broke out at the beginning of this year and has since then spread across the whole world, has become the most serious public health crisis since the end of WWII. It has delivered a ruthless blow to the international community and posed unprecedented challenges to mankind. As a responsible major country, China, in the spirit of putting people and life first, has rallied efforts nationwide and achieved major strategic results in epidemic prevention and control at home. While fully committed to domestic anti-epidemic efforts and resumption of economic activities, China's diplomacy adheres to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and upholds international humanitarian principles. China has been fighting shoulder-by-shoulder with other countries in this common battle against COVID-19. President Xi Jinping has conducted heads-of-state diplomacy to relay the strongest message that the international community is working together to overcome the current difficulties. China has donated 50 million US dollars to the WHO and provided emergency medical supplies to more than 150 countries and international organizations. We actively plan and develop relations with major powers. We have firmly and rationally dealt with wanton US oppression. Under the strategic guidance of Chinese and Russian heads of state, bilateral relations have achieved new progress. China-Europe relations have maintained the overall theme of cooperation. We have pursued all-round and all-sector neighborhood diplomacy and sought continuous improvement in relations with neighboring countries. Our solidarity and cooperation with developing countries including in Africa, the Arab world, Latin America and elsewhere have been cemented. We advocate for the building of a community of health for all mankind and the establishment of a more just and reasonable international governance system. We firmly defend national sovereignty, security and interests and effectively forestalled risks and challenges in the external environment. We practice the principle of diplomacy for the people and innovated special consular protection operations overseas to convey the motherland's love and care. China's anti-epidemic diplomacy, with one touching episode after another, opened a new chapter of major power diplomacy with Chinese characteristics and made new contribution to world peace and development.

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Since the new China was founded more than 70 years ago, no matter how the international situation changes, China has always followed an independent foreign policy of peace. This remains unchanged and will not change. China has always held high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, adhered to the purpose of its foreign policy of safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, unswervingly developed friendly cooperation with other countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and promoted the building of a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation.

China is committed to peaceful development. We respect the right of people in all countries to independently choose their own development path. We have no intention to engage in systemic competition or ideological confrontation with any country. Rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is an invincible trend. A prosperous China is what people aspire for. But no matter how far China goes, we will never seek hegemony or expansionism. It is a historical rule that a country seeking hegemony will eventually be on the wane. China has never thought of or opted for pursuing hegemony when growing stronger. China upholds international fairness and justice, and opposes the imposition of will on others and interference in others' internal affairs. We do not export "the Chinese model" or demand other countries replicate China's practice. We never base our development on the sacrifice of others' interests, nor do we ever give up our own legitimate rights and interests. It is China's sincere hope that all countries can join hands in pursuing peaceful development.

China is committed to an opening-up strategy, and our friendly cooperation with other countries is deepened while we open up wider to the world. Opening up is a fundamental state policy. China sticks to opening-up, promotes BRI cooperation, and is ready to share our development opportunities with the whole world. China explicitly rejects protectionism, firmly upholds a multilateral trade system and an open world economy, consistently increases our assistance to other developing countries, especially the least developed countries. Our determination to achieve win-win cooperation and common development with all countries remains unchanged and unshakable whatever incidents we encounter.

China is committed to developing partnerships and expanding the convergence of interests with other countries. China calls for a partnership that is equal-footed, peaceful and inclusive. It follows a new path of state-to-state relations featuring dialogue instead of confrontation and partnership instead of alliance. We believe that partnership can be formed between like-minded countries, as well as between countries seeking common ground while shelving differences. China has actively promoted coordination and cooperation among major countries, worked hard to build a framework of major-country relations featuring overall stability and balanced development, deepened relations with its neighbors in accordance with the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and the neighborhood foreign policy of building friendship and partnership with its neighbors, and strengthened solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries in the spirit of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests and the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith. China has established diplomatic relations with 180 countries and partnerships of various forms with over 110 countries and international organizations. We are ready to conduct friendly cooperation and make friends with other countries and jointly make new and greater contributions to mankind.

China is committed to multilateralism and global governance featuring extensive consultation, joint contributions and shared benefits. In the face of ever-emerging global challenges, we believe that solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapon of the international community. China upholds the equality of all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, advocates democracy in international relations, maintains that international affairs should be resolved through consultation among all countries, and supports greater representation and voice of developing countries in international affairs. China firmly opposes unilateralism, hegemony and power politics, and firmly supports the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order guided by international law. China has actively participated in the reform and development of the global governance system and played its role as a responsible major country in the world.

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The most important thing we could learn from COVID-19 is that the life, health and development interests of people in different countries are closely connected; humanity is in fact a community with a shared future. China will remain committed to world peace, global development and international order and work together with other countries for a community with a shared future.

China stands ready to strengthen international cooperation on prevention and control until the pandemic is defeated all across the world. We will actively explore establishing joint prevention and control mechanisms and cooperation in R&D of drugs and vaccines. We will provide assistance to countries in need to help block cross-border transmission as soon as possible. We will also continue supporting WHO's work to improve global public health governance and create a community of health for all. China stands together with the vast majority of countries in rejecting ideological bias and synergizing anti-epidemic efforts to the maximum.

China firmly rejects the US hegemonic bullying and power politics and remains prepared to work with the US in the spirit of no conflict or confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation and build a relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability. At the same time, China will defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, its legitimate development interests, and its national dignity and standing in the world as a major power which the Chinese people have worked so hard to earn. Although some radical forces in the US have been creating incidents and trying to push our two countries to the brink of a "new Cold War", China's policy towards the US has maintained consistency and stability. We believe the two sides need to hold candid and effective dialogues and take concrete measures to manage differences and focus on promoting practical cooperation in various fields. This is in line with the two peoples' shared interests and the aspiration of the international community.

China will actively develop relations with major powers. Following the strategic guidance of the Chinese and Russian heads of state, we will deepen anti-epidemic and practical cooperation, enhance strategic coordination on major international and regional affairs, and bring our comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era to a greater height. We always view relations with the EU from a strategic and long-term perspective and stand ready to work with it to strengthen dialogue and cooperation, advance major political agenda and jointly support multilateralism and address global challenges to ensure the steady and sustained development of China-EU relations. We will actively plan for and move forward exchange and cooperation with Japan in the next stage and broadly in the post-pandemic era to resume and expand mutually-beneficial cooperation and inject new impetus into this relationship. We stand ready to work with India to safeguard peace and stability along the border and maintain the steady development of bilateral ties.

China will continue to deepen strategic mutual trust and interests integration with neighboring and developing countries. We will uphold a neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and advance the building of a community with a shared future with neighboring countries. We will work towards signing the RCEP within the year and accelerate negotiations on the China-Japan-ROK FTA to promote regional economic integration. Guided by the concept of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests and the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, we will further enhance solidarity and cooperation with developing countries. We will continue to do our utmost to support Africa and the developing world in fighting the pandemic and resuming socioeconomic development. We will stand firmly for international fairness and justice, uphold multilateralism and safeguard developing countries' legitimate rights and interests.

China will take a more active part in reforming and improving global governance. We will stand with the international community to defend WWII outcomes and reject attempts to turn back the wheel of history. We support giving full play to the core role of the UN and abiding by international law and basic norms of international relations. China will work with cooperative partners to follow the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits, and support open, green and clean development to make the Belt and Road a model of cooperation, health and development for all involved. We will work with other countries to expand channels of exchange, enhance macro policy coordination, and jointly deal with global recession to build a post-pandemic world featuring peace, stability, openness, diversity and win-win cooperation, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

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