China's Perceptions on Today's World |
2007-06-11 00:00 |
Dear generals, officers and friends, I am very delighted to meet with you in this wonderful season and to exchange views on the issues we both interested in. According the topic arranged for me, I'd like to touch on China's view on today's world situation, China's foreign policy, and the situation in Afghanistan. I think we all agree that today's international situation is undergoing complex and deep changes. Peace and development remain the main themes of the present times. World multipolarization and economic globalization continue their development in zigzags. For a period of time in the future, the basic posture of the international situation will be overall peace and localized war, overall easing and localized tension, overall stability and localized turbulence. Therefore, maintaining world peace and promoting common development remains the mission of all countries in the world. But how to approach to the peace and development? China is ready to establish and develop friendly relations of cooperation with all the countries on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. To build a harmonious world that features political mutual trust and coexistence, mutual economic benefit, mutual security and mutual cultural enrichment, we need to build the following consensus and make relative efforts: First, political mutual trust and harmonious coexistence. Without a harmonious regional environment, there will be no social stability to speak of, let alone development and progress. We should embrace the concept of harmony, respect each other, treat each other as equals and seek common ground while shelving differences. We should resolve differences through dialogue, defuse tension through consultation, and increase mutual understanding and trust to ensure security and stability. Second, common development through win-win economic cooperation. The ongoing economic globalization has increased the level of economic interdependence on the one hand, and aggravated the unevenness of development on the other, some countries have been marginalized. We should, bearing in mind the particular conditions and people's fundamental needs in different countries, boost productivity, eliminate poverty and improve living standards. Given the different stages and levels of development of countries, we should vigorously promote cooperation based on equality and mutual benefit, advance regional economic integration, narrow the development gap and accelerate common development. Third, mutual assistance, solidarity and cooperation in security. In the face of both traditional and non-traditional security threats, no country can effectively respond to such threats on its own. We should develop a strong sense of collective security, support and cooperate with each other and jointly meet challenges. Fourth, mutual cultural enrichment. The spread of information technology has changed the way people live and work and made relations among countries and civilizations more complicated. Only by respecting, tolerating and learning from one another, can civilizations in today's world develop themselves properly while making contributions to the progress of entire mankind. At the same time, by drawing on each other's strength, we can enhance friendship and promote progress. We should promote intercivilization harmony and coexistence, and benefit from the development experience of other countries and regions. Dear friends, China is the largest developing country in the world, and it is committed to the path of peaceful development. This is not an expedient. Rather, it is a long-term and strategic foreign policy China follows. It is determined by China's reality of underdeveloped productive forces and weak economic foundation, and by its history, culture and traditions which value credibility, harmony and peace. It is also a solemn commitment China has made in keeping with the global trend. In pursuing peaceful development, we will, on the domestic front, continue to deepen reform and open wider to the outside world, focus on economic development, ensure all-round, coordinated and sustainable development and strive to build a harmonious society. Internationally, we will continue to pursue an independent foreign policy of peace and the opening-up strategy for mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, and work with other countries to build a harmonious world of enduring peace and common prosperity. A more prosperous and open China will bring huge opportunities to the world and particularly to its neighbors and make greater contribution to peace both in our region and in the world. As a part of Asia, Asia's harmony and prosperity go hand in hand with China's peaceful development. Thus we have consistently attached great importance to developing good-neighborly relations. China maintains that the disputes concerning borders, territory and territorial waters left over by the history be solved through dialogues and talks so as to see fair and reasonable solutions. If a dispute cannot be solved right away, it may be put aside for the time bding and common ground be sought while reserving differences. An unsolved dispute should not affect normal relations between the relevant countries. It is an important component of China's foreign policy to actively develop good-neighborly relations of friendship with the surrounding countries. China has resolved problems left over by history with the overwhelming majority of neighboring countries. And China's mutually beneficial cooperation with its neighbors has witnessed a vigorous development. It is the fundamental standing point of China's foreign policy to strengthen its solidarity and cooperation with numerous developing countries. China and these countries share common historic experiences and are faced with the common tasks of preserving national independence and achieving economic development. Therefore, their cooperation has a solid foundation and a broad prospect. China sets store by improving and developing its relations with developed countries. It advocates that countries should surmount their differences in social system and ideology, respect one another, seek common ground and shelve differences and enhance their mutually beneficial cooperation. Their disputes should be appropriately solved through dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Dear friends, The peace process of Afghanistan has entered a crucial point. We're very pleased to see the progress achieved so far in its nation building. Shelving difference among ethnics and groups and keeping united holds the key to peace in this land. I recall what King Rahman Khan said: unity and only unity can give birth to a great nation. After so many years of war, it is important that all Afghan people on this soil work hard together to build a peaceful and prosperous country. China and Afghanistan are traditional friends and neighbors. The friendly exchanges date back to the time of more than 2000 years. Chinese people cherish profound sentiments and good wishes towards Afghan people. China supports the Afghan government's efforts to safeguard national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintain social stability and develop the economy. Our relations have gone through with ups and downs of the international and regional situation. After the new Afghan government was established our bilateral contacts and cooperation have rapidly recovered, China actively participated in the reconstruction process of Afghanistan. China attaches great importance to bilateral relations and is willing to work with Afghanistan to push for all-round and in-depth development of bilateral relations. I think we can make joint efforts in the following aspects. First, bilateral friendship for generations to come should be upheld. Both sides have signed a treaty of good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation and the two countries will earnestly implement the treaty in a bid to substantiate and cement China-Afghanistan all-round cooperative partnership. Second, bilateral economic and trade cooperation should be expanded. China would like to expand cooperation with Afghanistan in such key areas as transportation, electric power, mining and communications, as well as in agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery and water resources utilization to seek mutual benefits and common development. Third, security and policing cooperation should be reinforced. China supports Afghanistan to combat terrorism and organized crimes and is ready to intensify bilateral cooperation in non-traditional security areas including counter-terrorism and narcotics control on the basis of the Kabul declaration on good-neighborly relations and other documents and jointly fight against the "three forces" and transnational crimes. Fourth, cooperation in other areas should also be promoted. China is willing to offer intellectual support for Afghanistan's social and economic reconstruction process and improve cooperation on education, cultural exchanges and human resources development. Fifth, multilateral pragmatic cooperation should be developed. China values communication and coordination with Afghanistan in international and regional affairs and stands ready to cooperate within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation with a view to safeguarding and promoting regional peace and development. H.E. President Karzai paid a successful visit to China last year. The leaders of the two countries reached a broad agreement on expanding and deepening China-Afghanistan relations of good neighborhood. I'm convinced that with the joint efforts of the two sides, the existing traditional friendly and cooperative relations between our two countries will be successfully carried forward. Thanks you. |