Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has, in the historical process of advancing the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, led China’s external work in forging ahead against all odds. We have withstood various risks and tests, overcome many obstacles and challenges, accomplished a great number of big, important undertakings, scored ground-breaking historic achievements on all fronts, and blazed a new path of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, thus fostering a favorable external environment for achieving the Two Centenary Goals and realizing the Chinese dream of great national renewal.

 

With a keen appreciation of the prevailing trends in domestic and international development and profound reflections on the future of mankind, General Secretary Xi Jinping has carried forward the core principles and fine traditions of New China’s diplomacy, broken new ground in major diplomatic theories and practices, and put forth a series of new philosophies, new propositions and new initiatives that have distinct Chinese features, reflect the ethos of the times, and set the pace for mankind’s progress and development. It is on that basis that Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy has been formed.

 

Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy has ten core principles, namely, upholding the authority of the CPC Central Committee as the overarching principle and strengthening the Party’s centralized, unified leadership


over external work; advancing major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics to fulfill the mission of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; building a community with a shared future for mankind with a view to defending world peace and promoting common development; enhancing strategic confidence based on the foundation of socialism with Chinese characteristics; promoting Belt and Road cooperation under the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits; pursuing peaceful development on the basis of mutual respect and win-win cooperation; fostering global partnerships by pursuing a broad-based diplomatic agenda; steering the reform of the global governance system under the principle of fairness and justice; upholding national sovereignty, security and development interests with China’s core interests as a red line; and developing a distinctive Chinese style of diplomacy by both drawing on fine traditions and adapting to changing times.

 

Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, we have focused on the central task of serving national rejuvenation and promoting the progress of humanity, grounded our work on the new stage in China’s development, and grasped the new changes in China’s relations with the world. We have pursued the greater good of humanity as well as our own success, stayed committed to peaceful development, advanced the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and promoted a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation. China has all along been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order.

 

General Secretary Xi Jinping has led by example through a wide range of fruitful head-of-state diplomatic endeavors. Over the past ten years, General Secretary Xi has made 42 overseas trips, visiting 69 countries on five continents, and received over 100 heads of state and government. At one point, General Secretary Xi made four overseas trips within one month and chaired nearly 70 bilateral and multilateral events within a week. After the onset of COVID-19, General Secretary Xi carried out active “cloud diplomacy”, having 181 phone conversations with foreign leaders and heads of international organizations and attending 78 major diplomatic events via video link. General Secretary Xi has made friends all over the world and shared with them China’s stories. He has kept a 30-plus-year friendship with his Iowan friends, making a point that heart-to-heart communication brings long-lasting friendship. He cited the tremendous changes taking place in the small village of Liangjiahe as a microcosm of the sea change brought by the 100-year journey of the CPC, and used the metaphor “Only the shoe wearer knows whether the shoe fits or not” to illustrate that China has chosen a development path suited to its national conditions. These gestures have deepened the international community’s understanding of China, demonstrated his charisma as an approachable leader that values friendship and treats others with sincerity, and reflected his internationalist vision of helping others to succeed while pursuing one’s own success. General Secretary Xi once said that traveling around the world, though a tiring job, has won China many more friends. As Chinese netizens put it, they are “seeing the world with President Xi.” These are only a few examples of the irreplaceable role and strategic value of head-of-state diplomacy.

 

We have advanced the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Following the vision of a global community of development with a shared future and the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, China has promoted Belt and Road cooperation and signed more than 200 such cooperation documents with 149 countries and 32 international organizations. Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative has brought expressways to East Africa and a cross-sea bridge to the Maldives, turned Laos from a land-locked to a land-linked country, and made the China-Europe Railway Express an important lifeline in keeping global logistics stable and smooth. In the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic, we have stood in the forefront of international cooperation against COVID-19, sharing China’s containment protocols and diagnostic and treatment plans with over 180 countries as well as international organizations, sending 38 medical expert teams to 34 countries, providing over 2.2 billion doses of vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations, and performing a global emergency humanitarian operation of a scale unseen since the founding of New China, all in an effort to build a global community of health for all. Since last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping has proposed the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, further enriching the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind. Our efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind have received growing welcome and support from the international community and quickly grown from a mainly solo show to a chorus joined by all.

 

We have advanced China’s diplomatic agenda in a comprehensive, multilevel and multifaceted way. In the spirit of respecting each other, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and seeking win-win cooperation, we have carried out friendly exchanges and cooperation with the rest of the world to increase converging interests with other countries and develop a network of global partnerships featuring equality, openness and cooperation. We have worked for a framework of major-country relations featuring overall stability and balanced development, deepened the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, promoted a China-US relationship characterized by mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and fostered China-EU partnerships for peace, growth, reform and civilization. We have followed the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness and the policy of forging friendship and partnership with our neighbors to deepen relations with our neighbors, ensure stable strategic support in the neighborhood, and build a community with a shared future with neighbors. Guided by the principle of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests and the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith, we have worked to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries and introduce cooperation mechanisms covering all other developing countries. To date, China has established diplomatic relations with 181 countries and entered into partnerships with more than 110 countries and regional organizations, thus making more and more friends and forming a network of partnerships covering the entire world.

 

We have actively advanced the reform and development of the global governance system. With unprecedented breadth, depth and intensity, we have taken part in global governance, contributed China’s wisdom, offered China’s proposals, and embraced China’s responsibilities, winning acclaim from the international community. At the United Nations and on other important occasions, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward China’s global governance philosophy and advocated a commitment to openness and inclusiveness instead of seclusion and exclusion, to international law instead of seeking one’s own supremacy, to consultation and cooperation instead of conflict and confrontation, and to progressing with the times instead of complacency. These propositions charted the course for the reform of the global governance system and international order, bringing positive energy to a world full of uncertainty. China has faithfully fulfilled its responsibility and mission as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It has sent over 50,000 peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping operations, and is now the second largest financial contributor to both the United Nations and UN peacekeeping operations. China has been among the first of countries to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals. It has taken the lead in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, accounting for over 70 percent of global poverty reduction. China has earnestly implemented the Paris Agreement on climate change. We have set for ourselves carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality targets, adopted new measures for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and played a crucial role in global cooperation on addressing climate change. Our efforts to push forward the reform of the global governance system are not to reinvent the wheel. Rather, they are to make the system fairer and more reasonable. The international order should only be based on the widely recognized international law, not the so-called rules set by a few countries, still less one’s own rules imposed on others.

 

We have firmly defended our national interests and dignity. With greater resolve, more concrete action and stronger measures, we have built a firm line of defense for national interests and dignity, and kept the initiative of safeguarding national development and security firmly in our own hands. We have categorically defended the one-China principle, established or resumed diplomatic ties with nine countries, and resolutely responded to provocations on the Taiwan question, thus consolidating the one-China consensus of the international community. We have forcefully curbed external interference in Hong Kong affairs, and sustained the good momentum of Hong Kong’s shift from turbulence to law and order. We have debunked disinformation on Xinjiang with facts, and defeated the political scheme to use Xinjiang to contain China. We have steadily pushed forward consultations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and safeguarded the overall stability in the region. We have stood up against politicizing and stigmatizing COVID-19, and were joined by over 80 countries who wrote letters or issued statements against the politicization of origins-tracing. We have thwarted anti-China moves related to human rights at the Human Rights Council and the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly for seven times in a row. Nearly 100 countries expressed support for China’s just stance and opposed using human rights as a pretext for foreign interference. Through our relentless efforts, Ms. Meng Wanzhou returned home safely after over 1,000 days in illegal detention. We on the diplomatic front have fought against the rhetoric and actions that undermine China’s national interests and dignity. We have safeguarded our own legitimate rights and interests, opposed hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts, and stood firm for international fairness and justice. Going forward, we in the foreign service will continue to rise to the challenges and forge ahead as a devoted defender of the interests of the country and our people.

 

We have acted on a people-centered philosophy. Upholding Chinese communists’ fundamental goal of wholeheartedly serving our people, we protect the Chinese nationals overseas from wind and rain. The motherland always provides strong and solid backing to her sons and daughters. We have actively contributed to the new development paradigm and facilitated people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. We have coordinated COVID-19 response and economic and social development with high efficiency, overcome difficulties inflicted by the pandemic and built “fast tracks” for essential personnel and “green lanes” for emergency supplies. Our consular service network has been improved to better resolve difficulties and problems of great concern to the people. The over 280 Chinese diplomatic and consular missions extend consular services to overseas Chinese around the globe. We have been strengthening the system for the protection of Chinese nationals and interests overseas to ensure the safety of overseas Chinese citizens and entities. Our consular service hotline 12308 runs 24/7 for Chinese nationals overseas, bringing consular protection to Chinese citizens wherever they are. Over the past decade, we have carried out over 10 emergency operations to evacuate overseas Chinese citizens. After the Ukraine crisis broke out, we opened up several life-saving corridors in just a few days and successfully evacuated over 5,200 Chinese. We will continue to live up to our responsibility and put into practice the principle of serving the people through diplomacy, and go all out to protect the safety and lawful rights and interests of overseas Chinese nationals and entities.

 

Looking ahead at our new journey, the 20th CPC National Congress will take forward and open up new horizons for China’s diplomacy in the new era. We in the foreign service will rally closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and fully appreciate the decisive significance of the establishment of both Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We will further strengthen our consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment, enhance confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole as well as the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, thus writing a new chapter of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era.