Faced with a more complicated global situation and more prominent international conflicts in the next decade, China sees more opportunities than challenges and has called for win-win cooperation.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi made the remarks on Tuesday at a news conference on the sidelines of the Fifth Session of the 11th National People's Congress.

"In the next 10 years, favorable and unfavorable factors in China's external environment are interwoven ... However, on the whole, opportunities outweigh challenges for China," Yang said.

He said the international architecture would change at a faster pace, and regional and international hotspot issues and global challenges would become more prominent.

"Some international problems will heat up, including climate change, energy and resources, and food security, while the issue of terrorism will still remain," said Yang, adding that countries would rely more on each other.

However, "the idea of sitting together in tough times to overcome difficulties together will gain stronger popular support", and "all parties will interact to pursue stability and development", said Yang.

"We believe that all countries should embrace win-win cooperation. While pursuing one's own interests, one also needs to take into account the interests of other countries. While enjoying one's rise, one should also fulfill responsibilities."

Yang predicted that all countries would attach more importance to the transition of economic development and participate more in the global economic cooperation and enlarge their own advantages.

The power of developing countries will be stronger and the power gap between the developing and the developed will narrow, he added.

In response to a question on China's role in the world in the next decade, Yang told reporters that China would not change its role as a developing country.

"China will remain as a developing country, and there is still a long way to go before China will be able to achieve modernization," said Yang.

"We have full confidence that we will be able to meet our goal," he added.

Compared to Yang's remarks on international issues in the previous year, there were few changes this time, which indicated a continuity of China's view on the international situation, said Yan Xuetong, an expert on international studies with Tsinghua University.

But China's relations with neighboring countries may become more important for its diplomacy, because Premier Wen Jiabao put relations with neighboring countries ahead of ties with main powers for the first time in his work report on Monday, Yan said.

It showed that China's sound relations with its neighbors were getting worse and the ties weren't developing in a good direction, he added.

Challenges facing Chinese diplomacy are more complicated and prominent, said Shi Yinhong, a professor on international studies with Renmin University of China.

The rapidly changing international situation requires China to adapt to new challenges and it is an enormous task for China to create new opportunities for its development in this global environment, Shi said.

While some say China's influence in Africa is on the rise, Yang said it is actually the international consensus that Africa faces great development opportunities.

Yang urged the international community to actively support Africa's unity and peaceful development, and to support African countries to be strong enough to tackle the regional issues independently and to play a greater role in protecting their rights and interests in international affairs.

Yang also reiterated that China would invest more in Europe to further support European countries to solve their debt crises.

zhouwa@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/07/2012 page5)