Xi: Humanitarian cause unites us

He notes Red Cross role in promoting peace, progress

President Xi Jinping stressed on Tuesday the importance of humanitarianism in uniting different civilizations, saying that China is willing to work closely with the International Committee of the Red Cross to make significant contributions to promoting peace and progress for humanity.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The ICRC, established in 1863, operates worldwide with a mission to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and violence, as well as to provide them with assistance.

During the meeting, Xi spoke highly of the productive work carried out by the ICRC in providing humanitarian assistance globally over the past 160 years. He also said he appreciated the organization's important contributions to world peace and progress.

He noted that at a time when the world is undergoing unprecedented changes and challenges, China does not choose to pursue its own interests in isolation, but instead strengthens cooperation with all countries around the world to jointly find solutions and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi said that he put forward such proposals as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative with the hope of working together with the rest of the world to achieve economic development, improve people's livelihoods and promote win-win results.

China is willing to propose its own ideas and solutions for enhancing global governance and addressing humanitarian issues, he said.

Noting that humanitarianism is the greatest consensus that can unite different civilizations, Xi said that traditional Chinese culture, with sayings such as "the benevolent person loves others" and "don't do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you", resonates and connects with the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

According to Xi, by putting the people above all else, China has won the largest battle against poverty in human history. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, China not only protected the life and health of its own people, but also conducted the largest global humanitarian assistance campaign, he said.

It has been proved that China is an active advocate, participant and contributor to the international humanitarian cause, Xi said.

Spoljaric congratulated China for being the country with the most recipients this year of the Florence Nightingale Medal, which recognizes nurses and nursing aides for exceptional courage, devotion and exemplary service. This showed that the ICRC and the international community highly recognize China's progress in the development of the humanitarian cause, she said.

Spoljaric said the Belt and Road Initiative has promoted world development and advanced the global humanitarian cause.

The ICRC looks forward to further deepening cooperation with China and jointly making contributions to promoting world peace, development and the humanitarian cause, she said.

The Florence Nightingale Medal, presented every two years, is the highest international award that can be given to a nurse. This year's 37 recipients were announced by the ICRC in May. On Tuesday, a ceremony and a seminar were held in Beijing to commemorate the seven Chinese honorees. Since China began nominating candidates in 1983, a total of 90 nurses from the country have been given the award so far.