China's diplomacy enters golden age
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-09-11 09:22

China's diplomacy has now entered a golden age, said President of China Foreign Affairs University Wu Jianmin in Beijing on Saturday.

Wu, a senior diplomat, told Xinhua on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the university that China's diplomacy is becoming more and more active these years.

"The diplomatic golden age means that China had never developed its foreign relations as extensively as in these years," he said, explaining that the number of countries establishing diplomatic ties with China has increased from around 60 in 1971 to more than 160 presently. Late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in the 1960s could only visit Asia and Africa, but now Chinese leaders could visit almost everywhere all over the world, he added.

"It proves that China has opened up to the outside world in a broad manner, and it has developed very close ties with the rest of the world," said Wu.

Wu, who is also president of the International Exhibitions Bureau and vice chairman of the Subcommittee of Foreign Affairs ofthe Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, said the "diplomatic golden age" also indicates that foreign relations have never been so important to China as they are today.

"China and its external world have never influenced each other so much as today," he said. In the old days, China's domestic affairs had little impact on the world, but now everything has changed. "The whole world is watching China closely as the exchange rate of RMB (the Chinese currency) was adjusted."

"The increasingly active diplomatic maneuvers have made unprecedented contribution to China's rising influence in today's world," Wu said, noting that China's diplomacy not only helps create a peaceful and stable environment for the country's development, but also provides a powerful support for the country's economic growth.

The 66-year-old Wu used to be Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman and ambassador to the Netherlands and France. The seniordiplomat said China's diplomacy is changing from a passive style to an active style, which means that China is taking more initiative in its diplomatic efforts instead of only making passive responses.

Under China's active mediation, the six-part talks on the Korean nuclear issue, aimed at realizing the denuclearization of the peninsula, have been held for four rounds in Beijing since August 2003, and will see the start of the second phase of the fourth round on Sept. 13. China's painstaking efforts to push forward the process have been praised by the international community and all concerned parties, including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan.

"The world could feel the positive efforts made by China for the regional and global peace and stability, and could realize howimportant China is in the international affairs," Wu noted.

China's active diplomacy has resulted from its rising national strength, Wu said, noting that China's voice is needed in international affairs.

As president of the Foreign Affairs University, Wu hoped that the university would take its 50th founding anniversary as a new starting point to train more qualified diplomats, so as to contribute more to China's diplomatic work.

The China Foreign Affairs University, founded in 1955, was initiated by then Premier Zhou Enlai. More than 17,000 students have graduated from the university, among whom 217 have served as Chinese ambassadors to foreign countries.