China's Development Makes for a Better World

Wang Yi

Nearly one year into office by the current Chinese government, China, which has enjoyed stability and steady progress, is attracting increasing attention from around the world. Many are eager to see what China will bring to the world. My answer: a better China will make for a better world. As the Report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) pointed out, China will remain committed to peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development, get more actively involved in international affairs, play its due role as a major responsible country, and continue to promote friendship and partnership with its neighbors and consolidate amicable relations with them. This is the pledge China has made to the world.

A China that constantly deepens reform and opens still wider to the outside is an important force for peace and stability in the world. The defining features of the present-day China are reform and opening-up. To achieve modernization, China needs to secure a peaceful international environment to develop itself, and safeguard and promote world peace with its own development. It needs to enlarge the convergence of interests of all parties and work toward a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity. That is why our diplomacy flatly rejects the law of the jungle, embraces equality of all countries irrespective of size and stands against hegemonism. China has the confidence to prove, with its own actions and by working with other countries, that a country growing stronger does not inevitably seek hegemony. As the world's largest developing country and largest grouping of developed countries, China and the European Union should respect each other's development paths as chosen in line with respective realities and work together to maintain world peace and stability.

A China that upholds win-win cooperation is providing a strong impetus to global prosperity and development. "A single flower does not make spring." China is ready to join the rest of the world to share opportunity and seek prosperity. China and the United States have agreed to build a new model of major-country relationship featuring non- confrontation, non-conflict, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. China and Russia, by vigorously deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, have set a good example of mutual trust and cooperation between major countries. Committed to a right approach to morality and interests, China is willing to give greater consideration to the interests of other developing countries. We are also happy to see the developed countries sharing in the dividends of China's development. The recently concluded Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee has put forth specific goals for a comprehensively deepened reform in the political, economic, cultural, social and ecological fields. In all these areas, we find Europe our important cooperation partner. We hope to see a combination of China's ongoing program of urbanization, industrialization, IT application and agricultural modernization with Europe's project of economic recovery. We would also like to see the Chinese and European markets reinforce each other to boost our respective development and provide fresh impetus to a dynamic, sustainable and balanced growth of the world economy.

A more proactive and enterprising China is making important contribution to appropriate resolutions of international hotspot issues. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China knows full well its major mandates and responsibilities and works hard to address hotspot issues at regional and international levels. In December 2013, China sent its peacekeeping troops to Mali, the 24th UN peacekeeping mission it has participated in since 1990. Not long ago, I attended on behalf of China the dialogue of P5+1 and the EU with Iran. The Chinese side upheld justice, made constructive recommendations and encouraged the parties to reach agreement on the first step measures to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. We have also actively supported the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria and decided to provide naval escort for the Syrian weapons. As two major forces working for world peace, both China and the EU stand for defusing crises with diplomacy. And the two sides should work together to uphold the sanctity of the UN Charter and make still greater contribution to world peace and development.

A China that is committed to good neighborliness is injecting still greater positive energy to peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region. With 20 land and maritime neighbors and a land boundary totalling 22,000 kilometers, China has more neighbors than any other country in the world. The neighborhood where China finds itself is what China depends on for survival, development and prosperity. Therefore, we will commit ourselves to developing amicable relationships and partnerships with our neighbors, fostering an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood and pursuing the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness. China and Russia are committed to ensuring peace and friendship generation after generation along their 4,300-kilometer boundary. From Dandong (on China-DPRK border) to Manzhouli (on China-Russia border), and from Horgos (on China-Kazakhstan border) to Dongxing (on China-Viet Nam border), over 50 Chinese ports are bustling with people doing a brisk business. China has worked vigorously to develop a partnership of maritime cooperation with ASEAN countries and its initiative for a Maritime Silk Road of the 21st century has been enthusiastically received. All this stands as a convincing proof that peace, development and cooperation prevails in China's neighborhood. Admittedly, there are outstanding territorial or maritime disputes between China and certain countries. We have always stood for peaceful settlement of such issues through negotiations and hope relevant countries will work with us toward the same goal.

What deserves our attention is that 68 years after World War II came to its end, Japan remains unwilling to face up to its past of aggression and its leader has gone so far as to pay homage to the Yasukuni Shrine where 14 Class A war criminals of World War II are honored and even regarded war criminals as "those who had fought for the country and made ultimate sacrifices". Japan's attitude toward its past of militarist aggression contrasts sharply with that of Europe which made a thorough condemnation of Nazi crimes. The Japanese leader, by trying to turn back the wheel of history, is leading his country down a dangerous road. The international community needs to stay vigilant and stand firmly for human conscience and the post-war international order.

Today's China has come under the spotlight of the world, but the international stage belongs to all countries. China is increasingly in need of the world for its development while the world also needs China for its prosperity. Looking into 2014, countries in the world will form a community of shared destinies in which their interests mingle and integrate more closely, while at the same time they will face still more complicated global challenges. In the new year, China will play its role as a responsible major country more effectively. Its diplomacy will display a broader global vision, an enterprising and innovative spirit and more actions to translate the principle of win-win cooperation into practice. We will respond to what the international community has expected of us with a more proactive and vigorous diplomacy and present the world with a better China. Together, we, all of us, will make our world an even better place.