Q&A: FM on diplomacy, global situation

Question: Chinese diplomats have fought back at attempts of smearing, scapegoating and interference on international occasions, and fought several tough battles at multilateral fora. China's diplomacy is thus labeled by some and seen as more assertive. What is your view?

Wang Yi: China's diplomacy shoulders the important responsibilities of safeguarding national interests, defending national dignity, facilitating international cooperation, and promoting world peace. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and with the full support of the Chinese people, we have worked all out to fulfill these responsibilities in an open and thorough way.

China's diplomacy is rooted in the 5,000-year Chinese civilization, and follows the proud tradition of independence and self-perfection fostered since the founding of the People's Republic. We pursue the path of peaceful development and an independent foreign policy of peace. We advocate international law and basic norms of international relations in the conduct of state-to-state exchanges. We uphold equity, justice and other shared values of humanity in handling international affairs. China's diplomacy has acquired a distinct Chinese feature, style and vision.

We accord friends with hospitality and partners with cooperation. But we also have to stand our ground when dealing with those who are not so friendly. We are happy to take well-intentioned criticism and go with helpful suggestions. But we have to respond to defamations and attacks. And more important, we are obliged to speak up for justice when faced with power politics and bullying. This is the responsibility of China's diplomacy and the national character of the Chinese people.

Question: How has COVID-19 affected Belt and Road cooperation? What will China do to restart the cooperation and take it forward?

Wang Yi: COVID-19 has dealt a heavy blow to the world economy and brought challenges to Belt and Road cooperation. That said, instead of stalling altogether, cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has bucked the trend to make new progress. It has demonstrated a strong resilience.

In his important message to the High-Level Video Conference on Belt and Road International Cooperation held in June last year, President Xi Jinping proposed developing the Belt and Road into a model of cooperation, health, recovery and growth. This reflects the shared aspiration of the international community and charts the course for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

The year 2020 witnessed BRI partners supporting each other and forging a "bond of solidarity" to control the coronavirus and pursue common development. The China-Europe Railway Express has completed more than 10,000 services, transporting more freight in the first 10 months of 2020 than the whole of 2019. Hailed as a "steel camel fleet", it has helped countries with their COVID-19 response. The Silk Road in the Air has enabled shipments of over 1,700 tons of medical supplies from China, opening up a lifeline in the air. In the first three quarters of 2020, China's non-financial direct investment in countries along the Belt and Road reached 13 billion US dollars, an increase of nearly 30% year-on-year. Most BRI projects have continued uninterrupted and without layoffs, and a number of new projects have been launched as scheduled. This has brought much-needed warmth to this harsh winter in the world economy and contributed to the efforts of partner countries in fighting the coronavirus, stabilizing the economy, and protecting livelihoods.

Facts abound to show the strong vitality of the BRI. The pandemic has not shaken the commitment of participating countries. Instead, it has highlighted the role of Belt and Road cooperation in powering global development in a post-COVID era.

China is fostering a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. These efforts will not only boost the high-quality development of the Chinese economy but also provide stronger impetus, more opportunities and more effective pathways for Belt and Road cooperation.

China will work with all parties to deepen the synergy between the BRI and the development strategies of other countries, keeping in mind their needs for COVID-19 response and economic recovery. We believe that by bolstering connectivity and economic reopening and by tapping into the potential of new growth drivers such as health care, digital economy and green development, we will be able to achieve higher-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Question: The year 2021 will mark the centenary of the CPC and the launch of the 14th Five-Year Plan. China will enter a new development stage and embark on a new journey. In this context, how will China's diplomatic work better serve the national development agenda? How do you envision China's diplomacy in 2021?

Wang Yi: The year 2021 will be of historic significance to China's national rejuvenation. We will celebrate the CPC's centenary and embark on a new journey of fully building a modern socialist country. The centenary is just the first chapter of the Party's great cause. We in the foreign service will rally closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy. We will continue to advance our major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests, and focus our work on the following six areas:

We will make our best efforts to serve China's development strategies. While ensuring effective COVID-19 control, we will promote better integration of the domestic and international markets and greater complementarity between domestic and global resources. We will endeavor to create a favorable external environment for fostering a new development paradigm and implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan at home.

We will continue to build a new type of international relations. Guided by President Xi's personal involvement in diplomacy, we will work for steady progress in China's relations with major powers, cement solidarity and friendship with neighbors and other developing countries, and further deepen international and regional cooperation.

We will further upgrade opening-up and cooperation. We will advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, tap into the strength of China's enormous market and its potential of domestic demand, boost global recovery with our own growth, and share with the world China's "development dividends".

We will proactively engage in the reform of global governance. The year 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of China's lawful seat at the UN and the 20th anniversary of its accession to the WTO. We will continue to practice multilateralism, host a successful UN Biodiversity Conference, meet global challenges in partnership with others, and promote a more equitable and sound global governance system.

We will actively facilitate mutual understanding between countries. We will better communicate to the world the CPC's strong record of governance, our people's extraordinary journey toward the Chinese dream and China's commitment to peaceful development. We call on all countries to overcome differences, seek common development and embrace exchanges, mutual learning and harmony between civilizations.

We will continue to work for a community with a shared future for mankind. In this context, we will seek to realize a global community of health for all and a community with a shared future in the Asia-Pacific. We will uphold the shared values of humanity - peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, and work with all countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.