China will fulfill role of responsible world power: foreign minister

Want China Times, Xinhua 2014-03-08

China will be "responsible," Wang Yi said at a press conference,
March 8. (Photo/CNS)

China will give full play to the country's role as a responsible world power in 2014, foreign minister Wang Yi said Saturday.

China will seek justice and uphold equality in international relations and protect the rights of developing countries in particular, Wang told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual government meetings.

China will work to push the international order toward a more fair and reasonable direction, he said.

"We will take an active part in international and regional affairs and play a bigger role in solving global and regional issues by offering China's own solutions," he said.

Another focus of China's diplomatic policy will be better serving the country's domestic reform through creating a favorable international environment, he said.

China will strengthen friendly relations with all countries in the world, especially neighboring countries, so as to create a more enabling environment for the country's reform and development, he said.

The country will vigorously pursue economic diplomacy and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, he said.

"We will do what we can to implement initiatives to better protect and serve overseas Chinese and provide stronger protection for China's growing legitimate rights and interests abroad," he said.

When summing up the country's diplomacy last year, Wang said the most distinct feature was its enterprising and innovative spirit.

"China's diplomacy in 2013 was broader in its horizons and more active in its conduct. It is not just a successful year under the new leadership but also a year of innovation and harvest for China's diplomacy," Wang said.

Last year, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang visited 22 countries, received 65 foreign heads of state and government in China and met more than 300 foreign dignitaries, while the country reached about 800 agreements with other countries, according to Wang.

Over the past year, China defended its territorial sovereignty and maritime interests, advanced the relations with major countries and unveiled major cooperation initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, he said, adding that China has played a constructive role in political settlement of major regional issues in Syria and Iran.

The country for the first time sent full units of its security forces to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali and a naval vessel to escort shipments of Syrian chemical weapons.