CHINA IN A NEW ERA
We will continue to partner withour neighbors to ensure global peace and prosperity: chinese ambassador
By Huang Xilian
China is in a new era. The recent annual sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) were in the lime lights of the world media. The election of new national leadership, adoption of Constitutional amendments, and a new round of national institutional reforms have all combined to set new milestones for the country on its way forward. One may wonder what the implications to the rest are, especially in this part of the world.
History offers some compelling clues. Forty years into its reform and opening-up program, China has grown from poverty and underdevelopment to the world’s second-largest economy, accounting for a steady 30 percent plus to global growth, more than the US, Japan and the eurozone countries combined. China is a leader by example in poverty alleviation, having contributed over 70 percent of the world’s accomplishments in poverty reduction. China is a staunch supporter of the UN sustainable development goals and climate change response efforts, and the largest contributor of UN peacekeeping troops among the P5. China is providing ever more public goods and platforms of international cooperation to the benefit of a growing array of countries around the world.
There are always nay-sayers though. We’ve had a plethora of “China collapse” predictions that have been invariably in serious disagreement with the reality. And, as of late, a new strain of “China threat theory” has surfaced in the form of the newlyminted “sharp power,” accusing China of exporting development models to others. It can’t be further from the truth.
Guidelines of China’s foreign policy in the new era can be found in the master design at the 19th CPC National Congress in October 2017. The overarching objectives are to promote new types of international relations and a community with a shared future for humankind. The Chinese NPC adopted the latest Constitutional amendments, adding the following concepts to the Preamble of the Constitution: “following a path of peaceful development,” “pursuing a mutually beneficial strategy of opening-up,” and “working to build a community with a shared future for humankind.” Nothing can be more solid to showcase China’s commitment to peaceful development and common prosperity.
The world today is fraught with challenges. To cope with the sluggish economy, concerted efforts for open trade and growth are a must. Yet the rise of anti-globalization and protectionism, and in particular, the ideology of “putting only one’s own interest first,” are detrimental to the very basis of international cooperation that has delivered for many in the world. Given the many uncertainties, the way forward should be paved with solidarity, not division, nor cold-war style power rivalry. Like so many déjà vu moments, new and old, a zero-sum mentality can all too easily degenerate into self-fulfilling prophecies.
China, on the other hand, is on the side of cooperation, friendship and win-win partnerships, and is against confrontation, threat and zero-sum games.
The path China opts for is one of harmony and win-win results based on mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation. China will continue to uphold international rules and justice, and never seek to impose our will on others. Through the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative, we aim to enhance physical, institutional and people-to-people connectivity and better global governance with solutions and ideas to counter common challenges. China in the new era will only bring more opportunities for peace and development to the world, while working for the interests of its own people.
To the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), our close neighbor, as a Chinese saying goes, “A waterside pavilion gets the moonlight first.” Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the two sides to build a higher level of strategic partnership and forge a closer community with a shared future. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated at his press conference during this year’s NPC session that China-ASEAN partnership has become the most successful and dynamic model for regional cooperation in the AsiaPacific, and that China will continue to put ASEAN on the front page of its international cooperation program.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of China-ASEAN strategic partnership. The two sides are working closely to formulate the “China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030.” We will be most happy to see ASEAN making the best out of China’s development. The potential for cooperation, as we see it, is enormous. A steady and strong China-ASEAN partnership is crucial not only for ourselves, but for the broader region as well.
No fog, nor smoke, can be thick enough to diminish a true towering mountain. China is more capable and more ready than ever to work with friends from all quarters, not least our ASEAN brethrens, to take the China-ASEAN partnership to a higher level with joint efforts geared toward a community of a shared future. All will stand to benefit from a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness, inclusiveness and environmental sustainability.