The year of 2022 is coming to an end. This is a year intertwined with changes and chaos. Geopolitical tensions have risen in the world and economic downward pressure has increased. The deficit in peace, development, security and governance is growing. Uncertainty and instability continue to increase. As a responsible country, China not only needs to strive to develop itself in such a turbulent and changing world to lead a better life for its more than 1.4 billion people, but also needs to better safeguard world peace, stability and sustainable development through its own development. This is a task of unparalleled difficulty and complexity. 

Many friends are interested in where China’s diplomacy will be heading in 2023. The answer has been given in the Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. China will remain firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace, and commit to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development. With stable institutions, governance, policy and development, we are confident to provide much needed certainty and stability to the international community.

China will continue to adhere to peaceful development. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has pursued the philosophy of “peace and harmony is most precious” and believed that all countries should seek harmony and common ground while preserving differences. After the Opium War in 1840, for about one century, China has been plundered by some Western powers and become a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people established New China in 1949. It was then when people could finally live in peace to develop the country and have a better life of our own. This century-long history of being invaded has strengthened the Chinese people with an untiring spirit and made us cherish peace. For over 70 years since the founding of New China, we have never sought hegemony or expansion. We have never exported our system. We stay true to the principle of equality of all countries, be they big or small, strong or weak, and rich or poor. We respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and respect the development paths and social systems chosen by nations of their own will. China is now working hard to achieve modernization for more than 1.4 billion people in a peaceful way. China’s development strengthens the global forces for peace, and makes significant contributions to global strategic stability.

China will continue to pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. The global economy today is characterized by countries being mutually dependent, which is the result of the interplay between market rules and respective needs of countries. In recent years, however, as economic globalization meets strong headwinds and the international consensus of opening up becomes weaker, all countries suffer, with the developing ones bearing the brunt. Under such circumstances, those claiming the so-called decoupling and chain-breaking are rather irresponsible, causing dangers to the world. As we learned from more than 40 years of reform and opening up in China, no country can develop without the world, and global development should benefit all. China will support economic globalization as usual, while strongly oppose ideological division, unilateralism and the logic of domination. By promoting high-standard opening up, China is sharing opportunities with the world and hence building an open world economy with all countries together.

China upholds true multilateralism. Countries should not fall into the traps of bloc confrontation or zero-sum game, which benefit no one. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the first to put its signature on the UN Charter, China has all along defended the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law, actively participated in the build-up and reform of global governance system, unequivocally opposed hegemonism and power politics, as well as bloc confrontation and Cold War mentality. Next year, China will make more efforts to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda together with Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, support international cooperation in areas such as food and energy security, and actively fulfill promises to tackle climate change and preserve biodiversity, so as to make global development more inclusive, more resilient and beneficial to all.

Recently, we see frequent interactions between Chinese and European leaders. A sustainable China-EU relationship is beneficial to world peace and stability. China always considers Europe a comprehensive strategic partner, supports the strategic autonomy of the EU, and wishes Europe united and prosperous. We welcome friends from European countries, including Finland, to visit China and witness China’s development and progress, which will help them perceive China objectively and correctly. We look forward to seeing Europe become an important partner to China on its path towards Chinese modernization, and to working together to tackle various global challenges.