Achievements

Peace and Development,A Glorious Way to the World

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-12-12 15:32

China pursues an independent foreign policy of peace, safeguard China’s interests in terms of sovereignty, security and development, and uphold its foreign policy purposes of maintaining world peace and promoting common development.

The Common Program of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) served as a provisional constitution after it was adopted in September 1949. The document clearly stipulated that the basic principle of China’s foreign policy was to guarantee independence, freedom and territorial integrity of the state, support lasting world peace and friendly cooperation among peoples of all countries in the world, and oppose imperialist policies of aggression and war.

Othe past 60 years, China has actively engaged in foreign activities, and in handing foreign affairs. China has made sustained efforts to developing friendly cooperative relations with all countries and in safeguarding world peace, and has made its contribution in these fields.

Maintaining Independence and Safeguarding National Sovereignty

China maintains independence, does not allow any country to infringe upon its national sovereignty and interfere in its internal affairs. As to international affairs, China decide on our stand and policy according to whether the matter is right and wrong and in consideration of the basic interests of the Chinese people and the people of the world, and shall never yield to pressure and threat from other countries. China maintains independence, cherishes its own right and also respects for the right of independence of other countries. China upholds that any country, big or small, rich or poor, and strong or weak, should be equal. China maintains independence, will neither enter into alliance with any big power or group of countries, nor establish any military bloc, join in the arms race or seek military expansion.

Opposing Hegemonism and Safeguarding World Peace

The common aspiration of the Chinese people as well as the people of the world is to maintain peace and to eliminate wars.

After World War II, the United States and the former Soviet Union desperately engaged in arm races and regional domination in order to contend for world hegemonism, resulting in severe threat to world peace. The Chinese government has constantly opposed arm races and regional domination, and actively stood for the complete prohibition and destruction of nuclear weapons and reduction of conventional weapons and military troops in large scale. China decided in 1985 to reduce its armed forces by one million within two years and signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1992. All these received favorable international comments.

Upholding the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence

The five principles of peaceful coexistence were put forward in line with the reality of a multi-polar world. Respect to sovereignty is the most fundamental principle in a new type of international relations. Mutual non-aggression means to get rid of the threat of using arms and armed threat in relations among countries. Non-interference in each other’s international affairs is the most important principle in international relations to guarantee each country’s right to take care of its own internal affairs and prevent any other country from interfering with any means. Equality and mutual benefit mean political equality, economic equality, cooperation, mutual benefit and supplement to each other’s needs. Peaceful coexistence calls on all countries to seek common interests, reserve differences, respect each other, maintain friendly cooperation and live in harmony regardless of differences in their social systems and ideologies.

In the 1990s, great changes have occurred in the world. The world is becoming multi-polarized. On the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence, China stands for the establishment of a peaceful, stable, just and rational international order. China’s stand conforms to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and reflects the trend of the times to seek peace and development. Strengthening Solidarity of Development Countries, and Together Opposing Imperialism and Colonialism

It is a great cause of the people in the developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America that account for three-quarters of the total population of the world to take the road of independence and development. China has always held that supporting the just demands of the developing countries and safeguarding solidarity and cooperation among the developing countries is its international duty. Whenever the developing countries suffer external aggression and interference, China is ready to give support. Many leaders of the developing countries regard China as a tested friend and a reliable friend.

China has become a formal observer of the nonalignment movement, and its cooperative relations with the G-77 and the South Pacific Forum has been steadily strengthened.

Improving Relations with Developed Countries to Promote Common Progress

On the basis of the principle of peaceful coexistence, China has constantly stood for establishing and developing relations with developed countries, and regarded improving relations with developed countries and promoting development with them as an important task of China’s foreign affairs.

 

The establishment of diplomatic relations with France in 1964 broke the policy of Western countries to isolate China. In the 1970s, the world situation experienced a great change, the United States had to readjust its policy on China, and China also readjusted its policy on the United States. This resulted in a breakthrough of the long antagonism between China and the United States, and the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries through common efforts. Meanwhile, China established diplomatic relations and strengthened friendly cooperative ties with other Western countries successively. This brought about a new situation in China’s foreign affairs.