China to continue contributing to global stability, growth, peace, governance: FM

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets the press on the sidelines of the national legislature annual session in Beijing, on March 8, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday that China will continue to be an anchor of international stability, an engine of global growth, a champion of peace and development and a contributor to global governance.

Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, Chinese diplomats have risen to challenges and broken new ground, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with President Xi Jinping as the core, Wang said.

"We have accomplished a great deal and opened a new chapter in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics," he noted.

Wang summed up Chinese diplomacy with three key words: vision, initiative and consistency.

China's vision is evident by a series of new ideas and thoughts put forward by Xi, including forging partnerships that replace confrontation with dialogue, and alliance with partnership, building a new type of international relationships featuring win-win cooperation, and jointly building a community of shared future for all of mankind.

These new ideas and thoughts "reject the old concepts of alliance and confrontation, rise above the old approach of zero-sum games, and have distinct Chinese characteristics and major implications for the world," according to the foreign minister.

"They are guides to action for Chinese diplomats in the new era and will have far-reaching implications for human development and progress," he said.

In the meantime, Wang said, Chinese diplomats have worked "creatively" to secure and advance the interests of the country and the people.

China has established a global web of partnerships, providing a favorable external environment and strategic support for China's development, he said, adding the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative has been promoted, opening a new chapter of openness and win-win cooperation.

Putting people at the heart of diplomacy, Wang said, the country has improved consular mechanisms and procedures, and effectively safeguarded the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens and businesses abroad.

The foreign minister also highlighted the consistency in Chinese diplomacy, saying that China has adhered to the path of peaceful development in the face of instability and conflicts in many parts of the world.

"In the face of skepticism over the existing international order and system, we have always called for maintaining it, and where necessary, improving it," he said.

Furthermore, China has championed multilateralism, openness and inclusiveness, amid a growing backlash against globalization and rising protectionism, according to Wang.

"The consistency and continuity of China's diplomacy are due responsibilities as a large country. It can offset uncertainties in the world and demonstrate China's confidence and firmness of purpose," he said.