Strengthen International Cooperation in Campaigning against Global Challenges

Professor Jan Wouters, Faculty of the Center for Global Governance Studies, Attendants to the Conference,

I am very pleased to join you at this inaugural conference of the InBev-Baillet Latour EU-China Chair and, may I first of all, on behalf of the Chinese Mission to the EU, extend congratulations on the inauguration of the programme and wish it every success.

The Catholic University of Louvain is one of Europe’s most prestigious educational and academic institutions, which produced not only Renaissance masters like Erasmus, but also expatriate scholars like W. H. Wong, the father of modern Chinese geology. Yesterday, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visited your university which is well-known in China. This University has an ancient history and a liberal spirit, and therefore places equal attention to tradition and heritage as well as the future and destiny of mankind. It is a fitting and proper place to discuss how we should strengthen international cooperation in face of the changing international situation and the emerging global challenges.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, the world is getting smaller. Globalization has drawn countries and peoples closer. We all become global villagers. But at the same time, our problems are getting grander. Issues such as climate change, energy security, environmental degradation, poverty alleviation, infectious diseases, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and those regional hot-spot conflicts, become so complex that they can never be solved by any country alone. The lingering financial and economic crisis poses a test of determination, wisdom and resources not to any government or people in particular, but to the entire international community. We are now in the same boat. To fight our way out of crisis, to pursue lasting peace and development, cooperation is no longer a choice, but a necessity.

Two weeks ago, a series of world summits took place: the UN summit on climate change, the UN Security Council summit on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament, and the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, which was the third G20 summit within one year. These events underlined the necessity and urgency of strengthening international cooperation under current circumstances.

So, where is China in this scenario? And what is China’s stand? To answer this question, I’d like to quote President Hu Jintao when he addressed the UN General Assembly. He said that, we, members of the international community, should commit ourselves to peace, development, cooperation, common progress and tolerance and continue our joint endeavor to build a harmonious world of enduring peace and common prosperity and contribute to the noble cause of peace and development of mankind.

A second quotation comes from Premier Wen Jiabao during the China-EU Summit in May this year: China adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace, adopts an opening up strategy of mutual benefit and win-win outcome. China is willing to develop friendly and cooperative relations with all countries. It will never seek hegemony. One or two countries or a group of big powers cannot solve the problems facing the world. Multipolarity and multilateralism are the main trend and conform to the will of the people. I believe, these statements clearly define the position and determination of the Chinese Government, that is, China will take an active part in international affairs and commit itself to international cooperation.

Dear friends,

While China is ready for stronger international cooperation, it holds the view that such cooperation should be based on equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. And let us capture its four important elements.

The first one is peaceful coexistence. It is the prerequisite for cooperation. Half a century ago, China proposed the five principles of peaceful coexistence. We believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, are all equal. The national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected. The affairs in a country should be determined by its own people. Between countries, the willful use or the threat of force should be prevented. And we should adhere to dialogue and negotiation for peaceful settlement of international disputes. Only in this way can the international situation be eased and the world peace maintained.

The second element is mutual benefit. This is the objective of international cooperation. In a world as highly interdependent as today, we do not endorse the “zero sum” view on international politics. Neither do we approve that one country would pursue its security and growth at the expense of others’. China always aligns the interest of the Chinese people to that of the world. Adam Smith was convinced that international trade would enable countries to complement each other’s strength, so in economic term, 1 plus 1 could be larger than 2. Likewise, in other fields of international relations, mutually beneficial cooperation can also bring win-win results and promote common development.

The third element is multilateralism. We believe it serves a good instrument for cooperation. Multilateralism enshrines and reflects the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The world issues should be settled through equal consultations. No country should impose its own will upon others. Today, globalization and global challenges deplete the possibility of any country, or any force, to single-handedly solve a major global issue or an international conflict that has become so complex and far-flung. To solve it requires participation of all parties concerned and their cooperation based on mutual respect, mutual understanding and win-win spirit.

The fourth element is the United Nations. The UN stands at the core of international cooperation. It is the most universal, representative and authoritative international organization, the most important platform to practice multilateralism, and the nucleus institution to deal with global threats and challenges. Its role in international affairs is irreplaceable. In the 21st century, we need a strong UN. The international community should uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, abide by international law and universally recognized norms governing international relations, promote democracy, harmony, cooperation and win-win spirit, and work together to build a multilateral system of international cooperation based on international law and the pivotal role of the United Nations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

China is a civilization with a 5,000-year history, a country with 1.3 billion people. China always upholds peace, development and cooperation in international relations, and remains a positive force for international cooperation.

First of all, China is a nation that pursues peace. The Chinese civilization is essentially a civilization of peace and harmony. There are many old sayings that manifest our views on international relations: Peace is the most precious; To ferry the boat, we need to unify our hearts; One should be kind and benevolent to the neighbors; There should be harmony among all nations. Two thousand years ago, the first Emperor Qinshihuang ordered the Great Wall to be built as a national rampart. One thousand years ago, the Tang Dynasty opened up the Silk Road leading to the Western Region, only to sell silk, tea and porcelain to rest of the world. Five hundred years ago, the Ming Dynasty navigator Zheng He made seven voyages to the South China Sea. He forged friendly relations with neighboring countries and brought there exquisite products and sophisticated agricultural and handicraft techniques. When gunpowder was invented in China, it was mainly used to produce firecrackers. China is the only one among the five nuclear powers to publicly declare no first use of nuclear weapons and no use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.

Secondly, China is a country that pursues development. Relying mainly on our own efforts, China has reduced the population living in absolute poverty from 250 million to 15 million in less than 30 years. Last year, the World Bank data shows that China contributes 67% to the global poverty reduction over the past 25 years. Common development is an important component of China’s foreign policy. We have made good effort to support and help other developing countries. China has already fulfilled its commitments to the UN Millennium Declaration. Up to now, China has provided assistance to more than 120 countries, cancelled debts owed by 49 heavily indebted poor countries and least developed countries, and applied zero-tariff treatment to imports from more than 40 least developed countries. The more China develops, the more it contributes to the world, the more it brings the world opportunities.

Thirdly, China is a state that pursues cooperation. We are committed to developing bilateral friendship and cooperation with all countries. As a permanent member of UN Security Council and the largest developing country, China has always actively promoted multilateral cooperation. China is playing an important and unique role on the Korean and the Iranian nuclear issues, the Middle East and other major international hotspot issues. China takes an active participation in the negotiations and formulation of international rules, and strives to meet its own international obligations consistent with its national strength. China has joined more than 130 inter-governmental organizations and acceded to more than 300 international treaties. It has participated in 22 UN peacekeeping operations, dispatching nearly 20,000 peacekeepers, more than any other permanent members of the United Nation Security Council. As China develops, it will certainly play a more active and constructive role in international affairs.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At present, there are two major international issues which draw widespread attention. The first is the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen at the end of this year. The second is the global financial and economic crisis starting from the second half of last year. On these two issues, China has made a great deal of effort to promote and participate in international cooperation.

On climate change, as its impact on human beings is wide-ranging and complex, it requires international cooperation to address it. For a long time, China has taken a responsible attitude and adopted corresponding policies and measures. We actively participate in the activities relating to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, and work hard for their effective implementation. China has established dialogue and cooperation mechanism with the world’s major powers including the European Union. China has done what it can to help Africa and small island developing countries to build capacity to address climate change.

The Chinese Government has formulated and is implementing the National Program to Tackle Climate Change, which clearly puts forward binding national targets from year 2005 to 2010, such as lowering the unit GDP energy consumption, reducing emissions of major pollutants, spreading forest coverage and increasing the proportion of renewable energy. By lowering the unit GDP energy consumption alone, China will save 620 million tons of standard coal, equivalent to reduction of 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide.

In future, we will continue to play our role. We will adhere to the Convention and the Protocol and its principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”. We will continue advocating sustainable development, accord equal emphasis on emission reduction and technological adaptation, and push the parties concerned to reached consensus on financial and technical cooperation, especially on increasing financial support to developing countries and establishing an effective technology transfer and dissemination mechanism. We believe all these will facilitate a positive outcome of the Copenhagen conference.

On the financial crisis, China has been promoting international cooperation to dampen its impact, though we are facing tremendous difficulties and challenges inside the country. In order to promote global financial stability and economic recovery, China supports the G20 summit initiative to strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and oppose all forms of protectionism. China has made timely adjustments to its own macro-economic policy, decisively implemented a proactive fiscal policy and moderately loose monetary policy. It has introduced a series of initiatives to expand domestic demand and promote economic growth, which not only benefited the Chinese economy, but also produced positive effect on the regional and world economy. China participated in the international rescue effort, including the trade financing program of the international institutions and also provided financial support to maintaining regional economic and financial stability.

On reforming international financial system, China calls for implementing of the timetable and road map agreed by leaders at the G20 London summit, increasing the representation and voice of developing countries, improving the decision-making procedure and mechanism of the international financial institutions, promoting regulatory reform and strengthening cooperation in supervision. As President Hu Jintao pointed out in Pittsburgh, we must unswervingly push forward the reform of the international financial system and achieve comprehensive, sustained and balanced development of the world economy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

China and the EU are both major forces on the world stage. We both support multilateralism and United Nations playing its role in world affairs. In face of the current global challenges, it is particularly important that China and the EU must strengthen coordination and expand cooperation. Our cooperation is not a choice, but a necessity.

Some describe China and the EU as “distant neighbors”. While the two sides are geographically distant, we are very close in strategic relations. Under the canopy of a Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership, our cooperation covers a wide range of issues, including the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula, terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, climate change, financial crisis, infectious disease, transnational organized crime and many others. We have set up more than 50 dialogue mechanism on different levels and in various fields, which have contributed to enhancing mutual political trust. In terms of trade, the EU is China's largest trading partner and export market, and has recently become China’s largest source of import. China is the EU’s second largest trading partner. Its huge market offers many business opportunities to the European companies. Its low-cost high-quality goods help each European family save about 300 euros every year.

Due to differences in the political system, historical and cultural tradition and level of development, it is natural that China and the EU have different views on some issues. However, the two sides share many common or similar views on the concept of international order and global security. Both China and the EU have a sense of urgency on reforming international financial system, dealing with climate change and energy security. There is a solid basis for cooperation. Strengthening our cooperation not only serves our interest, but also contributes to world peace, stability and prosperity.

As I explained on many occasions, to develop China-EU relations, we need to achieve transcendence on three aspects. First, transcend differences and seek common grounds. The overall China-EU relations should not be affected by any single event. Secondly, we should transcend short time dimension and take a long-term perspective. Temporary difficulties should not shake the confidence in the development of our relations. Thirdly, we should transcend the bilateral scope and take a global perspective. By expanding and deepening our strategic cooperation, we will contribute more to world peace and development.

I am convinced that with our joint efforts, with support and understanding from people in political, business, academic, civil and other circles, China-EU relations will surely achieve greater development, our cooperation will generate more benefits, and we will work together to build a better world for the mankind.

Thank you.