China's top legislator Wu Bangguo said in Manila Monday that China is a member of Asian community and knows fully well its important responsibility for peace in Asia.

Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress and AAPP's current president, made the remarks in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 4th General Assembly of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP).

Since the founding of New China 50 years ago, China has unswervingly pursued the independent foreign policy of peace, adhered to its solemn commitment of not seeking hegemony, not joining military blocks and nor seeking sphere of influence, and has duly contributed to the promotion and facilitation of peace and development in Asia, he said.

"The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, of which China is an initiator, have been widely accepted as the basic norms governing international relations," he said.

According to Wu, the independent foreign policy of peace is a long-term strategy formulated by the Chinese government in line with the fundamental interests of the people of China and the world. The rationale of the policy is rooted in the Chinese traditional culture and values.

"For thousands of years, we in China have been a strong believer in the philosophy that peace is as valuable to the world as harmony is to the people. In the future, no matter how the international situation may change and how strong China's economy will become, we will unswervingly pursue our foreign policy of maintaining world peace and promoting common development," he stressed.

In March this year, the Tenth National People's Congress of China held its first session. "The session reconfirmed the country' s development objective of building a well-off society in an all-round way," he said.

The Chinese people are now concentrating on development in a bid to quadruple the 2000 GDP by 2020 and bring about a stronger economy, improved democracy, more advanced science and education, a more prosperous culture, a more harmonious society and a better-off life for the people, he said.

Not long ago, China fought a hard battle against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) with flying colors. The Chinese economy registered an 8.2 percent growth in the first half of this year, he said. "These achievements testify once again to our strong will and ability to overcome all difficulties on our way ahead and maintain the good momentum of development," as he put it.

China cannot develop without peace and stability in Asia. China will continue to enhance friendship with countries in the neighborhood, and adhere to the policy of "making friends and partners with our neighbors," he said.

"We will intensify regional cooperation and work closely with our neighbors to bring mutual exchanges and cooperation to a new high and to create an environment of peace, cooperation and harmony in Asia," he said.

In conclusion, Wu said that the sacred and lofty goal of peace is part and parcel of the fundamental interests of 3.6 billion Asian people. The theme of this assembly -- Toward A Hundred Years of Peace in Asia -- reflects the common aspirations of the Asian people.

"The National People's Congress of China will work proactively with other AAPP members to enhance mutual understanding, friendship, trust and cooperation among people of all countries and make new contribution to a lasting peace and common development in Asia," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2003)