Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing, in an article titled "Peace, Development and
Cooperation" posted on his ministry's website yesterday, gave an
overview of China's foreign policy, describing relations with other
nations and regional associations and its role in international
organizations and negotiations.
"
China-US relations have, on the whole, maintained stability and
growth. Dialogue and exchanges at the various levels have improved
mutual understanding and mutual trust," Li said.
He said they have strengthened dialogue and
cooperation in economic, scientific, technological,
counter-terrorism, non-proliferation, regional security and other
fields, which serves not only the fundamental interests of the two
countries but also peace and stability in the world.
On
China-Japan relations, Li said China attaches importance to
them and that they have enjoyed close economic cooperation and
frequent personnel exchanges.
Li said in the face of complex political relations
in recent years, China maintains that the two sides, their leaders
in particular, should act in strategic and long-term interests,
strictly abide by principles enshrined in the three bilateral
political documents and, following the principle of "taking history
as a guide and looking to the future," step up exchanges and
cooperation and create conditions for steady and sound development
of bilateral relations by removing any obstacles.
Talking about
China-Russia ties, Li said their strategic cooperative
partnership continues to deepen, as their leaders have kept up
close exchanges with mutual trust and respect.
He said they have worked in close coordination on
regional and international concerns, promoting multilateralism and
greater democracy in international relations.
Li also hailed China-EU relations, saying their
overall strategic partnership has become richer in substance. In
2004, China emerged as the EU's largest trading partner and the EU
China's second largest.
On foreign policy regarding neighboring countries,
Li said China was committed to building good relationships and
creating an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood, playing
an important role in maintaining regional peace and promoting
common development.
"China has proved itself to be a good neighbor,
good friend and good partner of surrounding countries," he
said.
During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, China kept
its currency stable for the common good of Asian countries and
provided assistance to the best of its ability to affected
countries, thus playing a vital role in overcoming the
crisis.
In the wake of the
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the government and people
responded swiftly in expressing sympathy for those affected and
provided China's largest foreign relief program since 1949.
With respect to the Korean nuclear issue, Li said
China has acted in all parties' overall interests and worked
tirelessly on three-party and then six-party
talks, thus keeping tension in the peninsula from escalating
and contributing constructively to peace and stability in Northeast
Asia.
"China is an active participant in and staunch
supporter of regional cooperation in Asia," Li said, playing a
positive role in ASEAN+China, ASEAN+China, Japan and South Korea,
the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO),
ASEAN Regional Forum, and Asian Cooperation Dialogue.
Li said China has worked to promote common
development by sticking to the principles of consensus, equality,
mutual benefit and gradual progress, and taking into account the
interests and concerns of various parties.
Li said China's development has become a
significant part of Asian rejuvenation. Since 1996, it has
contributed up to 44 percent of Asian economic growth. In 2004, its
trade with the rest of Asia stood at US$665.03 billion, accounting
for 57.6 percent of the country's total foreign trade.
Li said in the spirit of mutual understanding,
accommodation and fairness, China has completely settled boundary
issues with Russia and other neighbors through consultation and
negotiation, and reached agreement with India on political guiding
principles for the settlement of boundary issues there.
China signed the Declaration on the Conduct of
Parties in the South China Sea with ASEAN, he added, and made
breakthroughs on joint development in the area with the Philippines
and Vietnam.
UN reform should consider concerns
of developing countries
Li said the UN should undergo reforms "as may be
necessary and reasonable, giving, in particular, scope to the
rational demands and concerns of developing countries to the
biggest extent possible."
Li said strengthening solidarity and mutually
beneficial cooperation with developing countries was the starting
point of China's diplomacy, promoting South-South cooperation and
North-South dialogue. China continued to provide assistance to
developing countries within its capacity, with a view to helping
them overcome difficulties and build capacity for
self-development.
He said China has provided tariff breaks to the
least developed countries in Asia and Africa, and cancelled debts
owed by 38 of them totaling 13.778 billion yuan (US$1.70
billion).
"China has taken an active part in the work of the
UN, upholding the authority and role of the world body and its
Security Council, and conducting extensive international
cooperation in such fields as counter-terrorism, arms control,
peacekeeping, development, human rights, law-enforcement, and the
environment," said Li.
In the past 15 years, China has sent over 3,000
non-combatant troops, police and civil officers on 15 UN
peacekeeping missions. "China's development cannot materialize
without the world. And a stable and prosperous world also needs
China."
China is "actively advocating establishing a fair
and rational international order," said Li, and developing
countries should be helped to participate on an equal footing in
international economic affairs.
"China supports security dialogue, regional
security cooperation mechanisms and stronger multilateral security
cooperation, as a way to address security threats and challenges
facing all countries," he said.
Li stressed China is opposed to terrorism in all
forms and stands for closer international cooperation to fight it
and eliminate its root causes.
China is also advocating a new concept of
civilization that features respect for diversity, said Li, adding
that independently choosing a path of development in light of
national conditions is an inalienable right of every people and
must be fully respected.
China's diplomacy contributes to
world peace, development
"China's diplomacy has made bold headway, serving
domestic development and contributing to world peace and common
development," Li wrote.
Describing peace, development and cooperation as
the irresistible trend of the times, Li said as new situations and
contradictions keep cropping up, maintaining world peace and
promoting common development remain the mission of all
countries.
China needs cooperation to maintain common
security, realize common development and promote harmony and
coexistence, Li said, and as security problems become more
transnational, interrelated and sudden in occurrence, "only through
international cooperation can we effectively address them."
"The Cold War mentality, unilateralism and the
worship of military might will lead us nowhere," he said.
Li said cooperation can also help redress the
imbalance in global development, effectively ward off economic and
financial risks, and enable countries to seize opportunities of
globalization to realize common development.
(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2005)