H.E, Liu Jin, Chinese Ambassador to TheGambia
As energy rises after the Winter Solstice, we bid farewell to 2023 and usher in 2024, a year in which hope comes from action. At the recently concluded Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a systematic explanation of building a community with a shared future for mankind, forming the latest achievement of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.
It has been ten years since President Xi Jinping proposed building a community with a shared future for mankind, which has achieved success during every passing day and month. The goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind is to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity, the pathway is promoting global governance that features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, the guiding principle is to apply the common values of humanity, the basic underpinning lies in building a new type of international relations, the strategic guidance comes from the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and the platform for action is high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. On this basis, we seek to bring countries together to meet challenges and achieve prosperity for all, and usher in a bright future of peace, security, prosperity and progress for our world. Ten years of practice have proven that building a community with a shared future for mankind has developed from a Chinese initiative to an international consensus, from a promising vision to substantive actions, and from a conceptual proposition to a scientific system. It has served as a glorious banner leading the progress of the times and accorded with the common aspiration of people in all countries.
However, as Chairman Mao said, “The future is bright, but the road is tortuous.” The historical process of building a community with a shared future for mankind still faces challenges. Right now, conflicts are still raging in some parts of the world. As a responsible major country, in order to build a broader international consensus and provide more effective solutions, China calls for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
An equal and orderly multipolar world means that the legitimate interests and demands of every country in the international forum are respected, and every country plays its own role and contribution. Multipolarization is the basic trend of today’s world and is also the consensus of most members of the international community. Standing at another crossroad in human history, we advocate that multipolarity should be equal, insist that all countries, regardless of size, are treated as equals, and oppose hegemonism and power politics. International affairs should be resolved through consultation by all countries, and the future and destiny of the world should be determined by all countries. We advocate that multipolarity should be orderly. All countries must uphold the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, abide by the basic norms of international relations, and practice true multilateralism. All countries have a place in the evolution of the international landscape, and whoever is “big” can’t have the final say.
A universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization means that no country should be left behind on the road toward global development and prosperity. Economic globalization is an objective requirement for the development of productive forces and an inevitable pathway for human society to move forward. Economic globalization has contributed to the rapid development of the world economy, but in recent years it has been overshadowed by various forms of protectionism, which has ultimately harmed the interests of all countries. We advocate that globalization should be universally beneficial and the “cake” of globalization should be enlarged and shared equitably, so that different countries, classes and groups of people canparticipate in and enjoy the fruits of globalization. The globalization should be inclusive and support all countries in taking a path of development that is in line with their own national conditions, while at the same time promoting the common development of all humankind. We should resolutely oppose the attempt to roll back globalization and abuse the concept of security, oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, and make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all.
China and Africa are brothers and partners. We uphold the concept of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and are at the forefront of jointly exploring the practice of building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. Over the past 10 years, the total trade volume between China and Africa has exceeded US$ 2 trillion, with China maintaining its position as Africa’s largest trading partner; China has dispatched about 9,000 medical personnel to African countries and provided more than 100,000 places for training; and a number of infrastructure and livelihood projects have been completed, including the Sir DawdaKairaba Jawara International Conference and URR Road and Bridges. As President Xi Jinping stressed when he attended theChina-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue in Johannesburg last year, “as we join hands to advance modernization, we will deliver a better future for the Chinese and African people, and set a fine example in the building of a community with a shared future for mankind”.
The new session of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held in China this year, and we are ready to work with African countries, including The Gambia, to ensure the session a great success, achieving the fruits of the unity and cooperation and writing a new historical chapter in China-Africa and China-Gambia relations, and to contribute our common and unique strengths for building a community with a shared future for mankind.