Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy guides China's actions as responsible country amid pandemic

In the special year of 2020 shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, China has fulfilled its responsibilities as a major country in the world while safeguarding its national interests and dignity.

This has been achieved under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.

The thought consists of 10 principles including building a global community of shared future to safeguard world peace and promote common development, pursuing peaceful development on the basis of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and steering reform of the global governance system to promote greater equity and justice.

The key principles also include pursuing major-country diplomacy with distinctive Chinese features to accomplish the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative under the principles of extensive consultation and joint contribution to benefit all, and upholding China's sovereignty, national security, and development interests as the core and non-negotiable position.

 

Upholding cooperation to aid anti-virus fight

Over the past year, President Xi Jinping has engaged in intensive head of state diplomacy.

He held more than 80 meetings and phone calls with foreign leaders and heads of international organizations, and attended over 20 important diplomatic events, including "cloud diplomacy" through the innovative virtual platform.

Xi proposed enhancing solidarity, following the guidance of science, giving full play to the leading role of the World Health Organization (WHO), and launching a joint international response to beat the pandemic.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the government has worked closely with the WHO and the international community in an open, transparent, science-based and responsible manner.

China organized its largest global humanitarian campaign since 1949, providing anti-virus assistance to over 150 countries and nine international organizations and sent 36 medical teams to 34 countries in need.

China has joined COVAX, a global initiative backed by the WHO, to ensure effective and equitable global access to vaccines.

Xi promised on various occasions to make China's COVID-19 vaccines a "global public good."

 

Advancing opening-up to facilitate economic recovery

As the world's second-largest economy, China has deepened reform and opening-up across the board and actively pursued mutually beneficial cooperation to provide impetus and confidence for the world to cope with the deepest recession since World War II.

China is expected to become the only major economy to register positive growth this year.

Xi said in order to promote global recovery, the international community must close ranks and jointly respond to this crisis and meet the test, and keep global economy open.

China practiced what it preached. Over the past year, it continued to open up to the world.

In the first eight months this year, China's trade with Belt and Road partners reached 5.86 trillion yuan (about 896 billion U.S. dollars), and Chinese companies made 30 percent more non-financial direct investment in the partner countries year-on-year.

The third China International Import Expo was attended by over 3,600 companies from more than 150 countries and regions, sharing with the world the benefits and opportunities generated by the country's economic recovery and opening-up.

 

Upholding multilateralism to facilitate global governance reform

As the world is caught up in headwinds and setbacks in global governance, Xi has expounded on China's perspectives on global governance while attending major multilateral meetings and put forward China's proposals on tackling global challenges.

"History teaches us that multilateralism, equity and justice can keep war and conflict at bay, while unilateralism and power politics will inflate dispute and confrontation," Xi said.

At various virtual meetings, Xi urged the G20 members and BRICS countries to safeguard the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, calling the United Nations "the core institution for addressing international affairs through cooperation."

Xi has also called for forging broader consensus and stronger synergy in building a clean and beautiful world where man and nature coexist in harmony.

Supporting international cooperation on climate change, China promised that it will strive to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, demonstrating its readiness to contribute to global ecological preservation.

Actions to promote the Xi-proposed vision of a community with a shared future for mankind have been well underway, and China's proposals for building communities with a shared future in various fields including cyberspace, ocean and health have been warmly received.