Priorities of China’s Diplomacy
On January 9, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of t he Political Bureau of t he Communist Party of China Central Committee, addressed a symposium in Beijing on the international situation and China’s foreign relations in 2023. During the speech, he outlined China’s diplomatic goals for 2024. Edited excerpts of Wang’s remarks follow: Propositions
Over the past year, when faced with major issues concerning the future of humanity and the direction of world development, China has all along stood firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress in its diplomacy, and made decisions that can stand the test of practice and time.
China firmly chooses cooperation over confrontation.
Relations among major countries influence the stability of the world. China believes that major countries must have commensurate vision and shoulder due responsibilities. It is to this end that we are always ready to do more, and to strive for more positive results, to unequivocally oppose major-power competition and confrontation, and to unswervingly promote sound interactions with other major countries.
China continued to deepen its comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination with Russia, with a view to boosting our respective development and revitalization, and promoting world multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations. Last year, President Xi Jinping chose Russia for his first overseas trip and held two meetings with President Vladimir Putin, showing a high level of mutual trust and providing strategic guidance for practicing true multilateralism, enhancing practical cooperation across the board and upholding global strategic stability.
China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership entered its 20th year. Last year, Xi held in-depth exchanges on multiple occasions with leaders of European countries, such as France and Germany, and EU institutions. Fruitful results were achieved in high-level dialogues in strategic, economic and trade, green and digital areas. The ChinaEurope relationship is not targeted at any third party, nor is it subjugated to or controlled by any third party. When China and Europe
nd join hands, attempts to create bloc confrontation will not succeed and a new cold war will not take place. China-Australia relations returned to the right track, enabling a fresh start of the comprehensive strategic partnership and a virtuous cycle of sound and stable development. Chinese and Japanese leaders reaffirmed their commitment to comprehensively promoting a strategic relationship of mutual benefit, and agreed to properly handle existing problems to build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship fit for the new era.
How China and the United States interact with each other affects the future of humanity and our planet. At the beginning of last year, when this relationship went through serious difficulties, China stated its solemn position, urging the U.S. to change its wrong perception of China and reinstate a reasonable and pragmatic China policy. After painstaking efforts, the two sides managed to rebuild communication and dialogue and stabilized bilateral relations from further deterioration. Last November, Xi accepted the invitation and held a historic meeting with President Joe Biden in San Francisco, during which they had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on issues of strategic and overarching importance and critical to the direction of China-U.S. relations. Xi incisively pointed out that for China and the United States, turning one’s back on the other is not an option; it is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other; and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides. The right way forward is to follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. Biden reaffirmed the five commitments he made in Bali, stated that the United States is glad to see prosperity in China, and that the U.S. does not seek to contain or suppress China’s development or to decouple with China, and does not support “Taiwan independence.” The two sides reached more than 20 deliverables, restored and established a series of dialogue and communication mechanisms, and formed the future-oriented San Francisco vision.
China firmly chooses solidarity over division. What concerns the international community the most today is: Will humanity head toward division? Will there be a new cold war? Xi has given China’s answer: “Solidarity brings strength, and confidence is more precious than gold.” We stand firmly against small circles that seek geopolitical purposes and small blocs that undermine stability. China is committed to building a new type of international relations and to consolidating and expanding the global network of partnerships.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, Xi further elaborated on the Asian values featuring peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration, and set forth a new vision of building a peaceful, safe and
secure, prosperous, beautiful, amicable and harmonious Asian home. Landmark achievements including the commissioning of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway complemented China-Indonesia relations. China and Singapore elevated their relationship to an all-around high-quality future-oriented partnership. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation made solid and rapid progress. And ChinaASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership continued to be close and pioneering. We released the Outlook on China’s Foreign Policy on Its Neighborhood in the New Era, the first of its kind, showing China’s commitment and resolve in working together with neighboring countries to safeguard regional tranquility amid fluid international dynamics and promote development despite challenges and difficulties.
China stood firmly in solidarity with the Global South, going through thick and thin and heading toward a shared future with fellow developing countries. Xi made his first visit to Africa in five years, and co-chaired the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue, drawing the blueprint for future China-Africa cooperation. We continued to strengthen strategic mutual trust with Arab countries, accelerated the implementation of the outcomes of the first China-Arab States Summit and the first China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit. We received over 10 leaders from Latin American countries and attended the Group of 77 plus China Summit in Havana, speeding up the upgrading of China’s relations with Latin America.
Around the world, we see reinvigoration of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the collective rise of developing countries and a new awakening of the Global South. This has made us more confident about the future of the world and more hopeful of human solidarity. Modernization should not be confined to a few. Rather, it should serve all countries and all people. We are convinced that as long as countries move beyond their differences of views, embrace solidarity and work with one another, difficulties of all sorts can be resolved and the vision of global modernization can become a reality.
China firmly chooses openness over isolation.
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Global economic recovery remains sluggish, yet protectionism is on the rise, fanned by rampant politicizing, stretching of the concept of national security and growing rhetorics on “building high fences around small yards,” “decoupling and cutting off supply chains” and “de-risking.” These actions are against the trend of the times. They hold back a country’s own development and seriously weaken the drivers of global growth. China believes globalization is an irreversible trend. The world economy is like a big ocean that cannot be cut into isolated lakes. Only by increasing openness will we be able to tackle challenges; only by strengthening cooperation will we be able to achieve sustained development.
Over the past year, we have been working actively to provide platforms for opening up. We brought back face-to-face events, such as the China International
Import Expo (CIIE), the China International Consumer Products Expo, the China International Fair for Trade in Services and the Canton Fair, to share our development opportunities with countries from around the world. We made robust efforts to enhance protection of foreign investment and intellectual property rights, and accelerated the development of a market-oriented, law-based and world-class business environment. We continued increasing investment in Belt and Road Initiative partners and expanding cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, industry, the economy and trade, and scientific and technological innovation with other countries, helping them generate more job opportunities and income. We took further measures to facilitate travels to and from China, applying a unilateral visafree policy to more countries, simplifying visa procedures, increasing international flights and providing more convenience to foreign tourists. China is taking real actions to open its door even wider to the world.
China firmly chooses peace over war.
Following the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, Xi put forward four points about what must be done, four things the international community must do together and three observations on the crisis. Last year, he personally engaged with
leaders of various countries and multilateral institutions, including the UN, in in-depth communication and made it clear that China is determined to facilitate peace talks and has no interests in seeing the crisis continue. We released China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, and engaged extensively with relevant parties through the special envoy of the Chinese Government. We have remained unequivocal in advocating respect for the sovereignty of all countries and rejecting the Cold War mentality, and made active efforts for resuming peace talks and restoring peace as we built up the conditions for the cessation of hostilities and peace talks.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict bears on the overall situation in the Middle East. Xi presented China’s position on many occasions. He noted that the imperatives are to end hostilities, prevent the conflict from spilling over, effectively protect civilians and increase humanitarian assistance. He emphasized that the only viable way lies in implementing the two-state solution and pushing for a comprehensive, just and sustainable solution to the question of Palestine at an early date. Working in unity with Arab and Islamic countries, China held a highlevel meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli issue at the UN Security Council (UNSC), sent its special envoy to work on the ground and promote peace talks, and increased humanitarian assistance and extend a helping hand to the people in Gaza at a perilous time. As the rotating president of the UNSC, China pushed the UNSC to adopt a resolution—the first of its kind since the conflict broke out. We also released China’s Position Paper on Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. China’s contribution has been highly commended by the international community.
We support Afghanistan i n building an inclusive political framework, adopting moderate policies, and pursuing peace and reconstruction. Through our mediation efforts, conflict is giving way to reconciliation in northern Myanmar, showcasing our firm commitment to maintaining peace and stability in border areas. We have consistently promoted the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and the Iranian nuclear issue, and have become a much-needed constructive force for safeguarding world peace and tranquility.
China firmly chooses multilateralism over unilateralism. In the world today, old and new issues are intertwined: Unilateralism is reasserting itself, with “us first” becoming a more noticeable tendency; the governance and trust deficit in the international community is decidedly widening. China holds that global governance is the way to surmount global challenges. We are committed to true multilateralism. We firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and the basic norms of international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Championing the principle of planning together, building together, and benefiting together, China has actively provided global public
nd goods and encouraged collective efforts by the international community to pursue development, security and vibrant civilizations.
Over the past year, we have delivered on the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Over 70 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI. More than 200 cooperation projects have been implemented. The $4 billion Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund has been put into use. The Global Development Promotion Center Network is bringing more members on board. In response to the growing impacts of climate change, China played a positive role in bringing about the UAE consensus at the UN Climate Change Conference and helping capacity-building in developing countries.
Over the past year, the Global Security Initiative (GSI) has gained greater influence. It has garnered support from over 100 countries and international and regional organizations, and is written into a host of bilateral and multilateral documents. The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper identifies 20 priorities of international security cooperation. The vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security has taken deeper root. The Beijing Xiangshan Forum and the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum (Lianyungang) have strengthened cooperation consensus. China has also proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative for joint effort toward secure artificial intelligence development.
Over the past year, the Global Civilizations Initiative (GCI) has turned from vision to practice. The Center of Chinese and Greek Ancient Civilizations was launched in the University of Athens. The Understanding China Conference and the Liangzhu Forum were successfully held. The increased communication, mutual learning and appreciation between the Chinese and other civilizations have added new splendor to world civilizations.
China firmly chooses justice over power politics. The world today is far from tranquil, and hegemonic and bullying acts are inflicting profound harm. China, as a responsible major country, has always upheld justice and stood up for fairness. We have resolutely opposed hegemonism and power politics, resolutely pushed back against a handful of countries’ attempt to dominate international affairs, demanded increased representation and a greater voice for developing countries in the global governance system, supported addressing the historical injustices perpetrated against African countries as a priority, and urged the lifting of all illegally imposed unilateral sanctions. With these efforts, we have firmly upheld the common and legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and made the international order more just and equitable.
Defending justice in defiance of hegemonic power is certainly also about safeguarding China’s sovereignty, national dignity and territorial integrity. In the face of external interference and provocation, we fought back resolutely and forcefully. In response to various acts of unjustified suppression, we took legitimate and reasonable countermeasures. The international community’s commitment to the one-China principle has been further cemented and the
resolution of 1.4 billion Chinese people to advance national reunification remains rock-solid. No individual or force should ever attempt to challenge the Chinese people’s iron-clad will or undermine China’s core interests.
Commitments China will always commit to self-confidence and self-reliance, and shoulder our due responsibility as a responsible major country.
Our national development and rejuvenation will be based on our country’s own strength, and the future and destiny of the our people will be firmly kept in their own hands. Drawing on the continuity, creativity, unity, inclusiveness and peaceful nature of the Chinese civilization and with the oriental wisdom, we will contribute our share to human progress. We will give full play to the strategic guiding role of the head-of-state diplomacy, ensure the success of the international events China is going to host, such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation meeting, the Boao Forum for Asia conference, the CIIE and the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, and demonstrate the distinctive style of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. We will address both the domestic and international imperatives, firmly safeguard our country’s sovereignty, security and development interests, and strive for a favorable external environment for domestic efforts of fostering a new development paradigm and achieving highquality development. We will stand up on major issues bearing on the solidarity, cooperation and legitimate rights of developing countries, and take a clear stand on crucial issues concerning the future of humanity and the direction of world development. Upholding justice, we will stay firmly on the right track of history.
China will always commit to openness and inclusiveness, and consolidate and expand our global network of partnerships. We will follow through on the common understandings reached at the China-U.S. presidential meeting in San Francisco, and explore the right way for the two major countries to get along with each other. We will deepen the strategic mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia, and solidify our comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. We will increase high-level exchange and strategic communication with Europe to enable our relations to grow steadily and go a long way. We will enhance friendship, mutual trust and convergence of interests with neighboring countries according to the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and the policy of forging friendship and partnership in our neighborhood. We will follow the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests when forging ahead hand-in-hand with fellow developing countries and pursuing common revitalization in unity with BRICS countries. We will take the 70th anniversary of the initiation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence
nd as an opportunity to promote a new type of international relations. We will actively implement the GCI, and advocate the common values of humanity. We will promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, increase understanding and friendship among people of all countries, and join forces for the progress of human civilization.
China will always commit to fairness and justice, and promote an equal and orderly multipolar world. We will practice true multilateralism and advance democracy in international relations. All countries, regardless of their size, should be treated as equals. Each and every country should have its place in the global multipolar system and can play its due role. All countries must uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, jointly defend the universally recognized norms governing international relations, and jointly participate in the reform and development of the global governance system. We will fully implement the GSI, uphold fairness and justice, actively promote talks for peace, and play a constructive part in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Ukraine crisis and other global and regional hotspots. We will put forward more Chinese proposals, contribute more Chinese wisdom, and provide more public goods that serve the interest of world peace and development.
China will always commit to win-win cooperation, and actively advance a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. We will firmly oppose all forms of unilateralism, protectionism and deglobalization, continue to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, redouble efforts to overcome the structural problems hindering the healthy development of the world economy, and keep the global industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded. We will advance the implementation of the GDI, scale up input in global development cooperation, and help fellow developing countries build capacity for self-generated development. We will jointly make the “pie” of economic globalization bigger and share it fairly, and pursue more adequate and balanced development. We will work for an economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all, so that people in all countries can embark on the path toward modernization together. We will fully deliver the outcomes of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, enhance the quality and expand the scope of cooperation, and start a new stage of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. We will always work to provide new opportunities for the world with China’s new development.
The future of humanity is bright, yet the road leading to this bright future is tortuous. To jointly build a community with a shared future for humankind, we need confidence and resolve, and we must have a vision and be broadminded; more importantly, we need to take actions and shoulder responsibilities.