China hopes the United States will explore the right way to get along with China that benefits both countries and the world, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress, Qin said China will continue to follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to pursue a sound and stable relationship with the United States.

“We hope the U.S. government will listen to the calls of the two peoples, rid of its strategic anxiety of ‘threat inflation,’ abandon the zero-sum Cold War mentality, and refuse to be hijacked by ‘political correctness,'” he said. Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that China has pressed the “acceleration button” and sounded “the clarion call” for diplomacy. “We will follow the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy,” he said, adding that China will host the first China-Central Asia Summit and the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation this year.

China stands firmly against any form of hegemonism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, camp-based confrontation or acts that contain and hold back other countries’ development, Qin said. “We will take it as our mission to defend China’s core interests,” he said. “We will resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests.”

China will build on its extensive partnerships, and take openness and development as the objective, said Qin. “We will reject ‘decoupling,’ and oppose severing industrial and supply chains and imposing unilateral sanctions,” he stressed. Qin also underscored the importance of multilateralism, and said China will promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, promote greater democracy in international relations, and make global governance more just and equitable.

“The new journey of China’s diplomacy will be an expedition with glories and dreams, and it will also be a long voyage through stormy seas,” he said, vowing to meet challenges head-on. China will foster an enabling external environment for building a modern socialist country in all respects, and write a new chapter in China’s distinctive major-country diplomacy in the new era, said the Chinese foreign minister.

“China fully respects Middle Eastern countries as the masters of their own affairs. We have no intention to fill a so-called vacuum,” Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said. “And we will not build exclusive circles,” he added. In the Middle East, China will be a facilitator for peace and stability, a cooperative partner for development and prosperity, and an enabler for building strength through unity, Qin stressed.

China-Europe relations are not targeted at, dependent on, or subjected to a third party, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said. No matter how the situation develops, China always regards Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner and supports European integration, Qin said.

China hopes Europe truly achieve strategic autonomy and lasting security and stability, he said. China is willing to work with Europe to uphold true multilateralism, and to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership, he added. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang responded to the Taiwan question with the Chinese Constitution in hand, saying that the island of Taiwan is a part of China’s sacred territory. How to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter of China’s own internal affairs, and no foreign country has the right to interfere.

The Taiwan question is the core of China’s core interests, the foundation of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first uncrossable red line in China-US relations, Qin stressed. The US bears undeniable responsibility for provoking the Taiwan question. Recently, some senior US officials said that the Taiwan question is not an issue of China’s internal affair. Qin responded that China firmly opposed to that and remained highly vigilant.

Qin also said that the reason China talks to the US about the Taiwan question is to urge the US not to interfere in China’s internal affairs. If the Taiwan question is not handled well, China-US relations will be thrown off course. If the US really wants peace across the Taiwan Straits, it should stop containing China with the Taiwan question, return to the roots of the one-China principle, honor its political commitment to China, and unequivocally oppose and stop “Taiwan independence.”

“For both sides of the Straits, we all have a shared family, and the name is China,” Qin said. As blood compatriots, China will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and utmost efforts. “The Anti-Secession Law makes it clear that if there is a violation of the law, we must act in accordance with the Constitution,” Qin noted.

The Chinese people are entitled to ask: Why does the US talk so much about respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Ukraine issue, but not respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question? Why does the US ask China not to supply arms to Russia, while it keeps selling arms to Taiwan in violation of the China-US joint communique in 1982? Why does the US only offer lip service in regard to maintaining regional peace and stability while secretly making plans to “destroy Taiwan?”

No one should underestimate the strong resolution, firm will and strong ability of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Qin said. The U.S. “Indo-Pacific Strategy” seeks to gang up to form exclusive blocs, stir up confrontation, and undermine regional integration, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said.

Achieving modernization for a country with a population of more than 1.4 billion will be an unprecedented feat in human history, and Chinese modernization offers solutions to many challenges facing human development, and dispels the myth that modernization is westernization, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

Qin answered questions of journalists from home and abroad on China’s foreign policy and foreign relations. At the press conference, Qin said that Chinese modernization has become a popular term around the world, and achieving modernization for a country of more than 1.4 billion people will be an unprecedented feat in human history.

Chinese modernization offers solutions to many challenges facing human development. It busts the myth that modernization is westernization. It creates a new form of human advancement. It provides an important source of inspiration for the world, especially developing countries, Qin said.

The reason why the Chinese path to modernization works is exactly because it is developed in China and rooted in Chinese culture and fits well with China’s national conditions. China’s success in development also proves that every country has the right and ability to choose its own path and hold its future firmly in its own hands.

Second, putting people first. Chinese modernization is of common prosperity for all the people. It is about achieving both material abundance and cultural ethical enrichment for the Chinese people. Modernization should not serve the interests of only a few countries or individuals. 

It should not make the rich richer and poor poorer, nor should it lead to cultural impoverishment, moral degradation or disorder. People around the world should all enjoy the rights to seek development as equals and pursue happiness, Qin stressed. Third, peaceful development. Chinese modernization is not pursued through war, colonization or exploitation. It is dedicated to peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit and is committed to harmony between humanity and nature. It is a new path different from Western modernization.

Fourth, openness and inclusiveness. Mankind’s path to modernization should not be a one-flower show, but a hundred flowers in bloom. It is important to respect the right of every country to pursue a modernization path, tailored to its national reality and encourage exchange and mutual learning, according to Qin.

Fifth, working hard in unity. The success of China’s development proves that acting in disunity like heap of loose sand will get us nowhere and only by striving in unity can we prove strength.  We will persevere in carrying out the set blueprint until it becomes reality. Partisan rifts, empty talk and frequent policy flip flops as seen in certain countries will only make even the best blueprint be the illusion and castle in the air.

The process of Chinese modernization is a boost to the force for peace, justice and progress in the world. We hope and believe that as more and more countries begin their own journey of modernization, the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind will become a reality.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP