The Third Session of the 12th National People's Congress opened on the morning of March 5th and Premier Li Keqiang delivered the Report on the Work of the Government. The sections on diplomatic work have attracted much attention.

First, the report gives a high appraisal of Chinese diplomacy in 2014.

It reviews the fast developments and changes in international situation and admits that China was confronted with a "complex and severe" international and domestic environment, with the global economy in difficult recovery, major economies showing diverging trends, and the domestic economy under increasing downturn pressure. The intertwined difficulties and challenges have been "bigger than initially anticipated."

The government work report sums up China's multi-faceted diplomacy in 2014 as "calm in the face of emergency," "leisurely pace," and "direct confrontation against tough issues," with "rich fruits" in four areas. President Xi Jinping and other leaders visited many countries and attended major international events, including G20 Leaders Summit and BRICS Leaders Meeting. China participated actively in establishing multilateral mechanisms and successfully hosted the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and 4th CICA Summit. Steady progress was made in relations with other major countries, and China entered a new phase in neighborhood diplomacy, making headway in cooperation with other developing countries. Notable advancement was made in conducting economic diplomacy with the Silk Road Economic Belt, 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and Silk Road Fund.

The report confidently points out that China is engaging in more exchanges and cooperation with other countries and is increasingly recognized as a responsible power on the international stage.

Second, the report offers a dialectical analysis of the world situation in 2015.

On the one hand, it speaks candidly about a "turbulent and volatile" international situation as the world economy stays in deep adjustment with insufficient power for recovery, geopolitics gains weight and leads to more uncertainties and the downturn pressure on the Chinese economy is still accumulating. "Difficulties in this year will be of an even greater magnitude than last year."

On the other hand, the report dialectically points out that China is still in the strategic stage of opportunities for development, with huge potential, resilience and leeway. It stresses the need to "enhance awareness of potential danger, maintain a firm belief in victory, and firmly grasp the initiative in development."

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