Presenting Strongest Voice for Peaceful Development and Win-Win Cooperation of the Times
Foreign Minister Wang Yi's Comments on President Xi Jinping's State Visit to US and Attendance at Summits Marking 70th Anniversary of Founding of UN
From September 22 to 28, 2015, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the United States (US) and attended summits marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN). At the end of the visit, Foreign Minister Wang Yi briefed journalists on the visit.
Wang Yi said that President Xi Jinping's visit is a historic visit at an important time. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the UN. Peace and development as trend of the era go forward with great strength and vigour. The international community pays attention to how major countries develop sound interactions, ponders how to maintain lasting peace of human society, explores how to realize common development among countries, and cares for how the Chinese nation achieve its aspiration of national rejuvenation. At this important moment of learning from history to better understand today, carrying on the past and opening up the future, President Xi Jinping travelled all the way to the other side of the Pacific Ocean to promote building the new model of major-country relationship between China and the US, and addressed the UN General Assembly to propose establishing new model of international relations. With actual actions and grand initiatives, President Xi responded to the era, wrote a new chapter of the development of China-US relations and international relations, and started a new course of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.
During the seven days, from Seattle the western gateway of the US to Washington D.C. its political center, and again to New York a multilateral international arena, President Xi Jinping carried out tight-scheduled bilateral and multilateral activities, made extensive contacts with people from all circles and delivered many important speeches, which enhanced understanding, deepened trust, expanded cooperation and promoted win-win, multi-win and all-win outcomes, generating a strong public resonance. Public opinions at home and abroad highly appreciate the outcomes of the visit and hold that this visit bears rich strategic connotation, leaves a deep historic trace and will certainly have a great and profound effect on the future of China-US relations and the course of world peace and development.
I. Lead the building of new model of major-country relationship and open up broad prospects for China-US win-win cooperation
Under the current international situation, China and the US enjoy an unprecedentedly close convergence of their interests and a more solid foundation for cooperation, and the bilateral relations bear an increasing global influence and strategic significance. Ensuring that China-US relations develop on the right track meets the wishes of the two peoples, complies with the expectations of the international community, and follows the trend of the times. President Xi Jinping's visit to the US has expanded the ideas on and enhanced the impetus of the development of China-US relations, and led the "cross-Pacific cooperation" to a new stage.
The direction of China-US relations is confirmed with new connotations. President Xi Jinping stressed in his visit that, building the new model of major-country relationship is a goal that China and the US should make long-term efforts for, and the two sides should not be afraid of the dark clouds blocking our view and ensure that the giant ship of China-US relations continue to sail along the right course. These were positively responded by the US. According to the outcome list agreed by the two sides, the first outcome achieved in this visit is that "the two sides commended the important progress that China-US relations have made since the meeting at Annenberg Estate, and agreed to continue the endeavor to build the new model of major-country relationship between China and the US based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation." The two sides also agreed that, "as countries with important global influence, China and the US should remain committed to maintaining a strong China-US relationship to contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of the world and the region." This is the new confirmation that China and the US made on the development direction and strategic importance of the bilateral relations in face of the complex and ever-changing international environment, providing positive expectations for people interested in China-US relations. President Xi Jinping further put forward that China and the US should maintain high-level exchanges, expand practical cooperation, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, deepen dialogues and cooperation on Asia-Pacific affairs and jointly cope with regional and global challenges, making the international community hold new expectations on the future of China-US relations.
The level of China-US strategic mutual trust gains new improvement. During the very evening of President Xi Jinping's arrival in Washington DC, he and President Barack Obama held a small-scale no-necktie meeting. The dialogue between the two heads of state, called as "Autumn Talks at White House" by President Xi Jinping, continued the friendly, practical, candid and in-depth style of "Annenberg Estate Meeting" and "Night Talks at Yingtai," focusing on in-depth and strategic communication. Along with a series of big- and small-scale meetings and other interactions during the next day, it took about nine hours for the two heads of state in communicating and jointly attending activities. Based on the situation in China and the world and with a historical and overall perspective, President Xi Jinping introduced China's views on peaceful development and international order to the US, made an in-depth elaboration on China's stance on issues concerning China's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and explained thoroughly the truth that cooperation benefits both China and the US while confrontation only hurts each other. President Barack Obama reiterated that the US welcomes China's peaceful rise, and a stable and prosperous China not only conforms to the Chinese people's interests but also meets the interests of the US and the international community. The two heads of state had in-depth exchanges of views on the domestic and foreign policies of their own countries, important topics in bilateral relations and international and regional situation, and agreed to hold a correct view toward each other's strategic intention and continuously enhance strategic mutual trust so as to avoid strategic miscalculation and misunderstanding.
China-US relations are the most complex bilateral relations in the world today. There are extensive common interests between the two sides as well as frictions and differences. President Xi Jinping pointed out that the consensus is far greater than differences between China and the US. The two sides should treat differences with broad mind, and manage and control disparities with positive steps. The differences between China and the US should become the impetus for the two sides to seek common ground while reserving differences and aggregate common ground while defusing differences for mutual improvement, instead of the root cause of suspicion or even frictions. The two sides should properly handle divergences one by one in order of priority, and gradually establish the habit of resolving them through dialogues and consultations. These not only reflect the candid attitude of facing up to problems, but also imply political wisdom of resolving contradictions. President Barack Obama said that the competition between China and the US should be a constructive factor, and he believes the two sides are able to manage and control disparities. On problems affecting the bilateral relations such as cyber security and the South China Sea, the two sides identified the common interests and agreed to carry out sound interactions, showing that the two countries absolutely have the ability to transform differences into cooperation through dialogues and consultations.
China-US mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation has been further expanded. President Xi Jinping pointed out that win-win cooperation is the only right choice for China-US relations. The bilateral cooperation can generate a whole power that is greater than the sum of the parts. China and the US should join hands to solve the common problems faced by the two countries, so that both countries and the world can become better and develop faster. Through vivid examples and detailed data, President Xi Jinping pointed out the essence of China-US mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, revealed the potential of complementary advantages of the two sides, and encouraged local governments and enterprises to innovate cooperation modes and expand cooperation channels to continuously make a bigger "cake" of their common interest. President Barack Obama said the US-China cooperation will have an unparalleled influence on the development process in the 21st century. Leaders of the US Senate, House of Representatives and local governments and business leaders said that US-China relations face vital development opportunities, and they are willing to continue supporting the friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
This visit has enriched the connotation of China-US win-win cooperation. The two sides reached 49 important consensus and outcomes, and enterprises of the two countries signed wide-ranging commercial contracts. The two sides agreed to push forward negotiations and speed up the pace to reach a high-level and mutually beneficial bilateral investment agreement, expand the mutually beneficial cooperation in energy, environmental protection, science, technology, aviation, infrastructure construction, agriculture, public health and other areas, improve mutual trust mechanism of the two militaries, designate 2016 as the China-US Tourism Year, and take more measures to expand student exchange programs and Chinese language teaching in the US. The two sides held constructive discussions on active China-US interactions in the Asia-Pacific, reached important consensus on jointly fighting crimes in cyber-space, agreed to advance cooperation in development in Africa and other places and enhance communication and coordination on international and regional issues such as the Iranian nuclear issue, DPRK nuclear issue, Afghan issue and counter-terrorism, and issued a new joint statement on jointly coping with climate change, all of which are another reflection of building the new model of major-country relationship between China and the US. The two sides also decided to establish a regular call mechanism on China-US economic affairs and jointly promote a steady world economic recovery and the stability of the global financial market. This wide range of outcomes shows the expanding areas of cooperation between China and the US, and is welcomed by the two peoples and the international community.
The friendship between peoples of China and the US has been further improved. President Xi Jinping's visit received high expectation and warm welcome from all sectors of life in the US. President Xi Jinping communicated with the US people from all circles, particularly the ordinary people, demonstrating a wise, open-minded, friendly and amicable style of the Chinese leader. President Xi Jinping told touching stories of friendly exchanges between China and the US, referred to quotations and stories that both countries share, and mentioned US TV series and popular culture, which all resonated strongly in the minds of US people from all circles. At the welcome ceremony at the White House, President Xi Jinping particularly mentioned his contacts with friends in Iowa, and quoted the ordinary US people that friendship is a big matter. When visiting the Lincoln High School in Tacoma, President Xi Jinping invited 100 US students to visit China and hoped the young generation would carry forward China-US friendship. President Xi Jinping also encouraged the Chinese community in the US to get integrated into the mainstream of society, and serve as a bridge to continuously contribute to China-US friendship and cooperation.
Wang Yi said that with tight schedule, extensive activities and fruitful results, President Xi Jinping's visit to the US is a success in increasing trust, reducing suspicion, focusing on cooperation, facing the people and opening up the future. It will lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of China-US relations, create more opportunities for reaching domestic development goals and serve as a demonstration for building the new model of international relations.
II. Advocate the concept of mew model of international relations and promote the grand cause of global peaceful development
The summits marking the 70th anniversary of the UN are the most important international event of this year, and the results will influence the adjustment and reform of world pattern and the basic tendency of global cooperation in development. Addressing the UN General Assembly for the first time, President Xi Jinping started at a historical height, grasped the pulse of the times, faced the future of human beings, recalled the evolution course of the UN, reviewed the spirit of the UN Charter, profoundly expounded China's policies and positions on international orders and issues concerning the future and destiny of mankind, and proposed a series of initiatives and measures for practical cooperation, leaving a remarkable historical print on the evolution of world pattern and China's history of diplomacy.
First, bring about new momentum for the development of international relations. China is the first major country that makes win-win cooperation as the goal of handling state-to-state relations. President Xi Jinping proposed to build a new model of international relations with win-win cooperation as its core at the end of last year, which played an important enlightening and leading role in the evolution of international relations. During the UN summits, President Xi Jinping comprehensively expounded the concept of the new model of international relations, and stressed to build a partnership of equal treatment, mutual consultations and mutual understanding, forge a security pattern of fairness, justice, co-construction and sharing, seek open, innovative, inclusive and mutually beneficial development prospects, promote harmonious but differentiated and inclusive exchanges among civilizations, construct an ecosystem of respecting the nature and green development so as to form a "five-in-one" general layout and path for building a community of common destiny for mankind. This systematic proposal is an innovation and development of China's views on international order as well as inheritance and promotion of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, providing new concept and opening up new prospect for the development of international relations. At the summits, President Xi Jinping also announced to establish a China-UN Peace and Development Fund, which is honored as a "big spending" to support the work of the UN and promote the cause of multilateral cooperation.
Second, contribute a new strength to safeguarding world peace. Seventy years ago after an arduous struggle of fourteen years, the Chinese people won the great victory over the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, making everlasting contributions to the World Anti-Fascist War and laying an important groundwork for the founding of the UN. Taking the opportunity of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the UN, President Xi Jinping, together with the international community, recalled the arduous course during which mankind strove for peace, and stressed the importance of taking history as a mirror, taking preventive measures against war and letting the torch of peace be carried down from generation to generation. President Xi Jinping delivered a speech entitled "China Comes for Peace" at the UN Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping, in which he made clear China's principle and stance on the issue of world peace, proposed important initiatives on strengthening UN peace-keeping actions and announced many practical measures in aspects such as further participating in the UN peacekeeping operations, establishing a mechanism of standby peacekeeping and enhancing the peacekeeping capability building of each country, especially the African countries. The speech is highly spoken by all parties.
Third, offer new schemes for promoting global development. The UN summits passed the Post-2015 Development Agenda which absorbed a lot of principles, propositions and schemes raised by China. At the summits, President Xi Jinping expounded a development concept with fairness, openness, comprehensiveness and innovation as its core, put forward four policy views of strengthening the developing ability of each country, improving the international development environment, optimizing the development partnership and perfecting the development coordination mechanism, which are a part of a long line of China's development concept and the thoughts of China's deepening of reforms. All these have become China's "development brand". President Xi Jinping announced measures such as setting up a "South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund", increasing investment to the least developed countries, relieving the debt of relevant least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing countries that bear inter-governmental interest-free loans and are unable to repay the debt by the end of 2015, and establishing a knowledge center for international development. All these play an exemplary role for being the first to effectively implement the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
China and the UN co-hosted the High-level Roundtable on South-South Cooperation. President Xi Jinping summarized important experience upheld in South-South cooperation such as equality and mutual trust, mutual benefits and win-win results as well as unity and mutual assistance, and proposed that the developing countries explore diversified development paths and promote the integration of development strategies of various countries, realize the effect of practical development and improve the global development structure, pushing South-South cooperation to a new level. President Xi Jinping also announced that in the next five years, China will provide "Six 100s" projects to support the developing countries in poverty reduction, agricultural cooperation, trade promotion, ecological protection, tackling climate change, health care facilities, and education and training. The participating representatives said that the measures and initiatives China announced are practical and realistic. China helps the developing countries to implement the Post-2015 Development Agenda through South-South cooperation, showing its devotion and undertaking as a major developing country.
As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the convening of the World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China and the UN jointly proposed to hold the Global Leaders Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, at which commitments are made to women issues at the level of state leaders for the first time, showing a pioneering significance. President Xi Jinping put forward specific initiatives on promoting women's all-round development and announced China's new commitments and new measures to support the global cause of women. President Xi Jinping also attended activities related to the climate change issues in New York, pointed out the directions of efforts in climate change negotiations, and introduced China's specific measures for energy conservation and emission reduction, providing political promotion for the UN Climate Change Conference to be held at the end of this year in Paris. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the UN appreciated China for playing a positive role in the cause of world peace and development and in promoting proper resolution of international and regional issues. China has become an indispensable and important partner in UN agenda.
III. Publicize China's reform and development and guide the international community to set up correct "Outlook on China"
China and the world are deeply integrated. The world needs China for its development, while China's development also cannot be isolated from a favorable external environment or the understanding and support of the international community. During the visit, President Xi Jinping used all kinds of occasions such as meetings, talks and public speeches to introduce China's economic situation, advancing path and development opportunity, embodying confidence in its path, theory and system and enhancing other countries' understanding and cognition of China.
As China's recent economic situation touches the nerve of the market, President Xi Jinping showed China's bright prospects to the world. Facing the increasing changes in world economic recovery and the increasing downward pressure of China's economy, President Xi Jinping revealed the huge development space and growth potential under China's economic new normal from macro and long-term perspectives. He pointed out that the energetic fundamentals in China's economy have not changed, the general direction of optimization and upgrade of China's economy has not changed, and the overall positive trend of China's economy has not changed. China has the ability to respond to various risks and challenges, maintain stability of the financial market and promote the sustainable and sound development of economy. It is widely acknowledged that President Xi Jinping's judgments about China's economy are convincing and inspiring.
China's deepening of reforms attracts the world's attention. President Xi Jinping sent a message of firmly promoting reform and opening-up to the world. With plain words, detailed examples and understandable ideas, President Xi Jinping introduced the changes of the times since China's reform and opening-up to people from all circles, systematically introduced China's "Four Comprehensiveness" strategic layout, introduced in detail the policies and measures of comprehensively deepening reforms, and stressed that China's reform and opening-up will never stop, and China will release more Chinese bonus and bring more Chinese opportunities to the world. International media and scholars said that President Xi Jinping's introduction on deepening reform and opening-up is inspiring and shows the world China's firm pace.
The direction of China's future development attracts much attention from all circles. President Xi Jinping's explanation of the path of peaceful development to the world is highly praised by the international community. President Xi Jinping stressed that adhering to the path of peaceful development is China's strategic choice instead of an expedient or a diplomatic parlance. China will always be the builder of world peace, the contributor of global development and the maintainer of international order. President Xi Jinping linked the Chinese dream, the World dream with the dream of people in the developing countries to live a better life, emphasizing that China welcomes all parties to participate in initiatives such as the "Belt and Road" and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which shows a broad mind of openness, transparency, inclusiveness and tolerance, and depicts the bright future of common development and mutual benefit.
During the visit, Mme. Peng Liyuan actively carried out people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the US, participated in multilateral activities related to the causes of education, women, children and the disabled people during the UN summits, spread love, deepened friendship and boosted public welfare, which enhances the international community's comprehensive understanding of China and shows the unique soft power.
At last, Wang Yi said that with two "new model of relationship" as the main line, President Xi Jinping's visit is oriented to the relationship between the largest developing country and the largest developed country and oriented to the most important international multilateral occasions, presenting a strong voice for peaceful development and win-win cooperation of the times. It is a major diplomatic action in planning major-countries relations and improving global layout. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the General Secretary, China's diplomacy adopts a broad and profound historical vision, a strategic thinking of keeping the overall situation in mind and, a pioneering spirit of innovation and the courage to shoulder responsibilities as a major country. In China's diplomacy, we put forward China-style initiatives to strengthen international cooperation, carry out China-style practice to expand foreign exchanges, make our contributions to promoting common development and play China-style role in resolving hotspot and global issues, which makes the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics of the new era soar in the sky of international vicissitudes. We should earnestly study and implement President Xi Jinping's profound diplomatic thoughts, adhere to peaceful development and pursue win-win cooperation so as to make greater contributions to formulating and implementing the 13th Five-Year Plan, to providing stronger guarantee for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the "two centennial goals" and to promoting the cause of human peace and development.