by Lady Michelle-Jennifer Santos, Founder & Publisher
March 9, 2013 (TSR) – Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that in the next five to ten years, the international situation will continue to go through profound and complex changes when asked about China’s foreign policy and foreign relations.
Mr. Yang held a press conference on the sidelines during the 1st Session of the 12th National People’s Congress at the Central Hall on the 3rd Floor of the Great Hall of the People at 10:00am on Saturday.
“For the past five years, the international situation has undergone the most profound and complex changes since the end of the Cold War”, Yang said. “We were faced with a lot of major events, emergent incidents and thorny issues.”
“We need to discover opportunities in a complex environment, maintain opportunities amid risks and challenges, and create new opportunities in development of the situation,” Yang noted.
CHINA RESPONDS TO THE CHANGING CONDITIONS IN A CALM MANNER
He said that China’s important period of strategic opportunities will need to have a proper judgment of implications and changes of conditions.
“China’s diplomacy responded to the changing conditions in a calm manner, steered by the central leadership,” he outlines, “met challenges head on and carried out work in a pioneering and innovative spirit. China’s diplomacy made steady progress and achieved new results”.
Regarding China’s international image and how it is raising its international influence, he said Chinese leaders were actively engaged in summits and top leadership diplomacy.
“We firmly upheld China’s sovereignty, security and development interests. We strengthened our exchange and cooperation with other countries in the world, pushed forward reform on the global governance structure and took solid steps to carry out public diplomacy,” he said.
“We fostered a favorable international environment for China’s reform, development and stability, and made new contributions to the world’s peace and development,” Yang said.
CHINA WILL CONTINUE TO HOLD HIGH THE BANNER OF PEACE, WIN-WIN COOPERATION
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also declared that China will be more actively involved in international affairs and play its due role to make the international system more just and equitable.
“As the world multi-polarity, economic globalization and science and technology advancement gather momentum, countries have become more interdependent with their interests more closely entwined,” he said.
He underlines that compared with what we had last century, China believes that the international multi-lateral system in the 21st century should become more representative, more just and more result-oriented.
“We all live in a global village. As we travel, we can only sit together as passengers in the same boat rather than try to crowd each other out,” he told the press of the annual session of the China’s national legislature.
“China has participated in and contributed to the building of the international system, and we will be more actively involved in international affairs,” he said at the press conference in Beijing.
Yang said, “We will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit and call for the spirit of equality, mutual trust, inclusiveness, mutual learning and win-win cooperation.”
“We will continue to unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development, resolutely uphold China’s sovereignty, security and development interests and foster a more favorable external environment for implementing the 12th five-year plan and for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects,” he added.
CHINA SUPPORT MULTI-LATERAL MEETINGS, TO HOST APEC MEETING NEXT YEAR
China also supports multi-lateral meetings to be held this year, including the summit of G20 in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
“We hope the G20 and its summit will focus on growth and employment, continue to push forward the reform in international financial system, improve multi-lateral trading regime and address development issue on a priority basis,” the foreign minister said.
“We support Russia and Indonesia in making these two important summits successful so as to contribute to the world economic recovery,” he added.
The Foreign Minister announced that China will host the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Economic Leaders’ Meeting next year and that all preparations are well underway.
“We hope the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will make committed efforts to promote sustainable and fair growth, push forward regional connectivity, and advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, as well as economic technological cooperation, in a balanced manner,” he said.
