Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi introduced the focus of China's diplomacy in 2021 in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency and China Media Group in Beijing.

 

Noting that the year 2021 will be of historic significance to China's national rejuvenation, Wang said the country will celebrate the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and embark on a new journey of fully building a modern socialist country.

 

"The centenary is just the first chapter of the CPC's great cause. We in the foreign service will rally closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy," he said, adding that the Chinese side will continue to advance the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests, and focus the work on the following six areas.

 

"We will make our best efforts to serve China's development strategies. While ensuring effective COVID-19 control, we will promote better integration of the domestic and international markets and greater complementarity between domestic and global resources," Wang said, adding that the Chinese side will endeavor to create a favorable external environment for fostering a new development paradigm and implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan at home.

 

The Chinese side will continue to build a new type of international relations. "Guided by President Xi's personal involvement in diplomacy, we will work for steady progress in China's relations with major powers, cement solidarity and friendship with neighbors and other developing countries, and further deepen international and regional cooperation," he said.

 

The Chinese side will further upgrade opening-up and cooperation. Wang said China will advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, tap into the strength of China's enormous market and its potential of domestic demand, boost global recovery with its own growth, and share with the world China's "development dividends".

 

"We will proactively engage in the reform of global governance," Wang said. Noting that the year 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of China's lawful seat at the United Nations and the 20th anniversary of its accession to the World Trade Organization, the foreign minister said China will continue to practice multilateralism, host a successful UN Biodiversity Conference, meet global challenges in partnership with others, and promote a more equitable and sound global governance system.

 

He said the Chinese side will actively facilitate mutual understanding between countries, better communicate to the world the CPC's strong record of governance, the Chinese people's extraordinary journey towards the Chinese dream and China's commitment to peaceful development, and call on all countries to overcome differences, seek common development and embrace exchanges, mutual learning and harmony between civilizations.

 

"We will continue to work for a community with a shared future for mankind. In this context, we will seek to realize a global community of health for all and a community with a shared future in the Asia-Pacific," he said, adding that China will uphold the shared values of humanity - peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, and work with all countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.