New Starting Point, New thinking and New Practices
In order to summarize the theoretical exploration and practical innovation of China's diplomacy in the past year, analyze the development trend of the international situation, and strengthen the positive interaction between China and the international community, the China Public Diplomacy Association, together with the China Institute of International Studies, the China Foundation for International Studies and the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, successfully held the "New Starting Point, New thinks, New Practices" - "2013 China and the World" symposium at Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) to discuss in depth issues such as building new type of major - power relationship, solidarity and cooperation with developing countries, and strengthening good-neighbourliness and friendship.
Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, P.R.China, Li Zhaoxing, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Li Xiaolin, Former President of CPAFFC attended the symposium
The symposium brought together guests from many spheres of the society, including Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, P.R.China, Li Zhaoxing, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, P.R.China, Li Xiaolin, Former President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Zhao Shaohua, Former Vice Director of Foreign Affairs Committee of the NPC P.R.China, Wang Guoqing, Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the CPPCC, P.R.China, Ruan Zongze, Executive Vice President of China Institute of International Studies, Zhao Lei, Professor of the International Institute for Strategic Studies of the Party School of the Central Committee of P.R.China, Cai Liang, researcher of Institutes For International Studies, and Wang Fan, Vice President of the China Foreign Affairs University attended the Opening Ceremony and delivered speeches.
Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, P.R.C attended the Opening Ceremony and delivered a speech
Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, P.R.C, attended the symposium and delivered a speech. He said that this year, China’s diplomacy has continuously introduced new ideas and put forward the “Chinese Dream” dedicated to realizing the Chinese Dream of great revival, enriching the theory of peace and development, build a new model of major-country relationship between China and the United States, and practicing the Principle of Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit and Inclusiveness, uphold justice while pursuing shared interests. This year, Chinese diplomacy has successively launched new initiatives to build the Silk Road Economic Belt, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, build an upgraded version of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, and establish a series of major cooperation initiatives such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. This year, Chinese diplomacy has been striving to create a new situation as President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang visited 22 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States, receiving 64 foreign heads of state and government and exchange with more than 300 foreign government officials. China has reached nearly 800 cooperation agreements with other countries, which has strongly promoted the development of China's relations with other countries in the world.
Wang Yi stated that in 2014, Chinese diplomacy will further build the framework for positive interaction and healthy development of major-country relations, build more stable, friendly and prosperous relations with neighboring countries, further deepen longstanding friendship with developing countries, further strengthen economic diplomacy for the deepening of domestic comprehensive all-around reform, put more effort for home diplomacy, and utilize the CICA and APEC summits to be held in China in 2014 as platforms to strengthen regional security cooperation and promotes economic development.
Li Zhaoxing, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, President of China Public Diplomacy Association attended the Opening Ceremony and delivered a speech
Li Zhaoxing, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the China Public Diplomacy Association stated that in 2013, the Chinese government put forward a series of new concepts such as the "Chinese Dream" of national revival, the construction of a new type of major-country relationship, and foster the right value of the rise of China while pursuing shared interests in accordance with China's development and changes in practice. China has successfully carried out a series of major diplomatic activities in 2013, which attracted more attention from the international community. 2013 was also the first year of the China Public Diplomacy Association. Focusing on the general national development strategy and diplomatic work, the association explored the working model of civil society, conducts active international exchanges, and held dozens of public diplomatic events, which secured a good start.
Li Xiaolin, Former President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries attended the Opening Ceremony and delivered a speech
Li Xiaolin, former President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said: "Founded in 1954, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries is one of the earliest national people's organizations in China specializing in people-to-people diplomacy, and since its founding, CPAFFC has always adhered to the purpose of friendship, cooperation, peace and development, making a wide range of and building close ties with friends on behalf of the Chinese people. As of 2013, 46 Friendship Associations with Regions and other Countries have been established in China and abroad, and built up cooperation relationships with nearly 500 organizations and institutions from 157 countries. Another task of the CPAFFC is to be entrusted by the State Council of China to coordinate the management of China’s international relationship with sister cities. China's international sister city events began in 1973, when Tianjin and Kobe, Japan concluded the first pair of sister-city relations, which has now gone through 40 years of development. A total of 3,076 pairs of sister province, state and city relations have been concluded between China and foreign countries.
In May 2013, the CPAFFC held its 10th National Council. President Xi Jinping attended and delivered a speech, requesting the CPAFFC to play a leading role in promoting the development of people-to-people diplomacy, play a key role in conducting public diplomacy, and play a bridging role in promoting cooperation between Chinese and foreign local governments. In the future, we will continue to strengthen friendly cooperation with various departments, explore further domestic and international resources to give full play to the advantages of people-to-people diplomacy, and make new contributions to building a well-being society in all round and realizing the dream of the great revival of the Chinese nation.
Zhao Shaohua, Former Vice Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the NPC, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech
Zhao Shaohua, former Vice Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), mentioned at the meeting that the NPC has always attached great importance to friendly exchanges with parliaments and multilateral parliamentary organizations around the world, providing a unique perspective for China to understand the world and for the world to understand China. At present, it maintains communication and contact with 178 councils around the world in different forms, regularly conducts institutional exchanges with 14 major national parliaments and European parliaments, including those of Russia, the United States, France, Britain, Germany, India, Brazil and South Africa, and has established 106 bilateral friendship groups, joined 15 international and regional parliamentary organizations, and become an observer of five multilateral parliamentary organizations.
For the performance of external exchanges, the NPC focuses on the following aspects: First, through regular institutional exchanges or regular parliamentary exchanges, the NPC focuses on introducing the Chinese People’s congresses system and the democracy construction and the rule of law in China, introducing China's path of peaceful development, enhancing the international community's knowledge and understanding of China's political system and path of development, conveying the wishes and aspirations of the Chinese people in a timely and accurate manner, and working to protect the rights and interests of the Chinese people and to create a favorable external environment for safeguarding the national sovereignty security and development interests. Secondly, the NPC promotes legislative exchanges. Thirdly, using parliamentary exchanges as a platform, the NPC will proactively understand the needs for international exchanges and cooperation in different domestic fields and industries, and effectively works on the solution of existing issues and difficulties.
Meanwhile, in response to the international community's biased interpretation and even misunderstanding of China's development, the NPC has focused on resolving doubts and misunderstandings in a timely manner, and has taken the initiative to speak out on issues of core and vital interests to China. China adheres to the path of peaceful development and is committed to promoting development with openness, cooperative and win-win results. China's growth and development will bring more opportunities to the world.
Wang Guoqing, Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the CPPCC, P.R.China attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech
Wang Guoqing, Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the CPPCC, P.R.China stated that: Since March 2013, the new CPPCC National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) has implemented the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches. We have made new progress in our international relations by vigorously carrying out public diplomacy and cultural exchanges, widely publicizing the multi-party cooperative system and political consultative system under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), deeply explaining the rich connotation of China's extensive, multi-layered and institutionalized development of socialist consultation and democracy, and continuously expanding and deepening our friendly communications with countries around the world and relevant institutions and international organizations.
First, pragmatically conduct high-level exchanges. Second, give full play to the role of the committee in making suggestions and proposals. Third, fully implement the public diplomacy. Fourth, enhance the effectiveness of receiving and exchanging visits. Fifth, promote the international community's understanding of China. We deeply appreciate that the CPPCC is an important platform for us for international exchanges and an important bridge to enhance understanding and cooperation between our country and people from all over the world. The CPPCC focuses on making a wide range of friends, and has the advantages of talents, organizations, sectors, public diplomatic resources, and important channels for socialist consultation and democracy in China. There is great potential in the great process of our country realizing the two centennial goals and the dream of rejuvenating the Chinese nation, and in the great cause of creating a favorable international environment for China's reform and development, the future is bright and promising.
Ruan Zongze, Executive Vice President of China Institute of International Studies, pointed out that the innovation of China's diplomacy is the response for the new requirements of China as its attitude to keep a good balance of low profile while make positive contributions in the new era. He believes that one of the most important features of Chinese diplomacy is its inheritance. The adoption of new manifestations, phenomena, and methods does not mean the discontinuation or negation of past diplomacy, but rather the development of the "new" on the basis of past inheritance.
Cai Liang, Researcher of Institutes For International Studies, suggested that Chinese diplomacy was backed by thousands of years of civilization, which simply put is the concept of inner holiness and external reign, emphasizing the overall harmony and symbiosis. In spite of the discussion between hegemony and benevolent governance, the Chinese always emphasizes the priority of benevolent. China has made a great contribution to the peaceful development of the world by minding its own business, and has created its own path of the peaceful development, which can be a reference for other countries. From this perspective we are making a difference, and this is the logical relationship between the two.
Zhao Lei, Professor of the International Institute for Strategic Studies of the Party School of the Central Committee of C.P.China, emphasized that Chinese diplomacy should learn to turn good intentions into good results. He pointed out that positive action should be manifested in two aspects: First of all, positive action does not necessarily mean doing specific works. The priority is to swift the mentality and philosophy for understanding the international community positively and proactively. Secondly, according to the expectations of the international community, emphasize the international contribution and international responsibility of China, convey China's goodwill to the international community in a better way, which is conducive to goodwill producing good results.
According to Wang Fan, Vice President of the China Foreign Affairs University, keeping a low profile means never seek hegemony and never challenge the peace. This is the principle that China will always follow. China has always had two major responsibilities: one is to solve its own problems, develop its economy, and improve its people's living standards. The second is to assume international responsibility at a higher level, provide more public goods, and play an active and constructive role in major international hotspot issues to put forward effective Chinese solutions.
This Symposium is hosted by Li Zhaoxing, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, P.R.China, Li Xiaolin, Former President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Zhao Shaohua, Former Vice Director of Foreign Affairs Committee of the NPC, P.R.China, Wang Guoqing, Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the CPPCC, P.R.China, attended the Opening Ceremony and deliver speeches. Over 200 participants attended the event with great interests, including ambassadors to China, leading academics on international studies and Chinese and foreign medias.
Delegates and representatives at the symposium