‘Sovereignty and security - China’s primary foreign policy aims’ - Part III:

On steady course to modernization

The Fifth Session of the Eleventh National People’s Congress held a press conference in the Great Hall of the People on March 6, 2012. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi answered questions from Chinese and foreign press on China’s foreign policy and external relations.

Xinhua News Agency: Minister Yang, just now you reviewed China's diplomacy in the past ten years. My question is a forward-looking one. What major changes do you think will take place in our world in the next ten years and what role will China play?

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi

Foreign Minister Yang: The next ten years will be a very important decade for China's peaceful development. We will mark the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. We will meet our objective of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. At the same time, I want to point out that to judge the overall economic strength of a country, one should look at not just one particular indicator but a whole system of indicators, not just one aggregate number but several structural numbers. China will remain a developing country, and there is still a long way to go before China can achieve modernization. We have full confidence that we will meet our goal. We also have an objective judgement of the situation and our road ahead. China will neither belittle itself nor seek to lecture others.

I believe the next ten years will be a decade when fast changes will take place in the international architecture and major trends will develop rapidly in the world. It will also be a decade when all the parties engage in close interactions and pursue stability and improved governance in the midst of changes. The following major trends deserve particular attention:

First, the momentum of pursuing development will gather steam. All parties will pay closer attention to shifting their growth models at a faster pace and they will endeavour to develop and enhance their new advantages as they participate in international economic cooperation and competition in an age of economic globalization.

Second, the trend towards a multi-polar world will become clearer. The overall strength of developing countries will be on the rise and there will be greater balance in the distribution of international power.

Third, the competition and cooperation surrounding reform of the international system will get stronger. The parties will seek to exert bigger influence on the adjustment and shift of the international rules and international order. And reform of international governance and the current international system will move ahead steadily.

Fourth, regional and international hotspot issues and global challenges will become more prominent. Some hotspot issues will continue to heat up. Such global challenges as climate change, energy, resource and food security and terrorism will persist. And countries will become more interdependent with their interests more closely entwined. I believe under such circumstances the idea of sticking together in tough times to tide over the difficulties will gain stronger popular support.

In the next ten years, the favourable and unfavourable factors in the external environment of China are interwoven. Risks and difficulties, favourable conditions and positive trends are the two sides of a coin. There are both opportunities and challenges. And on the whole, we believe that for China, opportunities outweigh challenges and the country is still at an important stage of strategic opportunities for development.

China will remain committed to the independent foreign policy of peace, the path of peaceful development and a win-win strategy of opening-up. We will continue to work with other countries to build a harmonious world of enduring peace and common prosperity. We believe that all countries should embrace win-win cooperation. This means that while pursuing one's own interests, one also needs to take into account the interests of other countries; while enjoying one's rights, one should also fulfill its responsibilities. Countries need to accommodate each other and work together to uphold justice and expand common interests. We believe that all countries should work together to make the international order more just and equitable and to usher in a better future for the world.

PTI: I would like to ask you about the impact of the rapid development of emerging economies and many developing countries on the global arena. I think this question is relevant because the BRICS Summit is coming up this month and I would like to know what exactly is coming upon the agenda and focus of the BRICS Summit and how China views it. You just concluded a visit to India, had extensive discussions with the Indian leadership, and signed interesting agreements on maritime cooperation. I'd like you to give us a broader picture of where India-China relationship stands today and with regard to various differences that the two countries have on a number of issues.

Foreign Minister Yang: The rapid development of a large number of emerging market economies and developing countries in today's world is very conducive to making our international order more just and equitable. Last year, the third BRICS Leaders Meeting was successfully held in Sanya, Hainan of China and I believe the upcoming fourth BRICS summit will be crowned with success.

China hopes that the upcoming BRICS Summit will achieve important results in three areas. First, boost growth. We hope that the summit will help enhance people's confidence in world economic growth and add new impetus to world economic recovery. Second, promote stability. We hope that the summit will bring out the active and constructive role of BRICS countries in international affairs and promote the relaxation and stability of regional situation. Third, enhance cooperation. We hope that the summit will help push forward the practical cooperation among the BRICS countries in economy, finance and other fields, and bring real benefits to people of the BRICS countries and people of the world.

Not long ago, I visited India. The purpose of my visit is to make preparations for the attendance of the fourth BRICS Summit by the Chinese leader and to push forward China-India relations. I feel that both China and India want to see continuous, sound and steady growth of their bilateral relationship and they want to enhance exchange, increase mutual trust and expand cooperation. I had a thorough exchange of views and a meeting of minds with my Indian counterpart, the foreign minister, on a series of aspects, including maintaining the momentum of high-level exchanges between the two countries, advancing China-India practical cooperation in all fields and intensifying personnel interflow and cultural exchanges between the two sides. We believe that we need to do all specific work well in implementing the important agreement reached at the leadership level, including conducting consultations between the two sides on maritime security and working together to ensure peace and tranquility in the China-India border areas.

Nihon Keizai Shimbun: This year marks the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between China and Japan. How do you comment on the current China-Japan relationship? What considerations does China have for the further development of China-Japan relations? Given the fact that there are some sensitive issues between the two countries, how do you think to increase the strategic mutual trust between the two countries and improve the national sentiments between people of the two countries? Moreover, this year China is the coordinator of the cooperation among China, Japan and the ROK. How does China comment on the trilateral cooperation?

Foreign Minister Yang: Over the past 40 years since China and Japan normalized their diplomatic relations, China-Japan relationship has come a long way in a wide range of fields. The Chinese government places high importance on its relationship with Japan. We believe that the two sides need to continue to enhance mutual political trust in line with the principles enshrined in the four political documents between China and Japan, expand practical cooperation in all fields, improve national sentiments between people of the two countries and push forward the development of China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit.

With respect to the sensitive issues between China and Japan, such as the history issue and the issue of Diaoyu Islands, we hope the Japanese side will fully recognize the complexity and sensitivity of these issues.

These issues concern the political foundation and overall interests of China-Japan relations. The Japanese side should truly take history as a mirror and look forward to the future, and properly handle these sensitive issues in keeping with the overall interests of its relationship with China.

I also believe it is necessary for us to talk about how to increase the mutual strategic trust and improve the national sentiments between people of the two sides. To enhance mutual strategic trust between China and Japan, I believe it is crucial that both sides view each other's development from the right, objective and strategic perspective, and truly see each other as an opportunity and partner for development. During President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan in 2008, the two sides issued the fourth political document between China and Japan and reached the important political agreement that the two countries are each other's cooperation partner, they don't pose a threat to each other and that they will support each other's peaceful development. I believe if such political agreement can be truly implemented in our exchanges, the mutual trust between the two countries will deepen. I believe to improve the national sentiments between people of the two countries involves efforts in a wide range of fields. It requires that both sides take a long term perspective and intensify exchanges at various levels, in particular the exchanges between young people of the two countries, so that more people of the two countries are engaged in the cause of friendship.

This year, China is the coordinator of the China-Japan-ROK cooperation mechanism. Premier Wen Jiabao will hold, with leaders from Japan and the ROK, the fifth trilateral leaders' meeting in China. We want to work with Japan and the ROK to deepen practical cooperation, promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges and exchange views on regional and international issues. We believe the parties should enhance the building of the China-Japan-ROK FTA and work together to push forward their future-oriented, all-dimensional partnership for cooperation.

To be continued

Courtesy: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China