Mutual Benefit Through Collaboration – China & the World
2011/01/24
(22 January 2011, LSE, London)
Sir Howard Davies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
May I begin by thanking Sir Howard for this honour of speaking at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
In fact, this is my second visit to the LSE. I made my first public appearance and first speech as the Chinese Ambassador to the UK at the LSE. That was when I attended the Ninth Chinese Proficiency Competition here. As the competition was held in the LSE, and it was shortly after the start of the Year of Tiger, the British contestants put on a vigorous and truly outstanding performance. I'm glad to say that Stewart Johnson, an undergraduate at SOAS won the competition in the UK and went on to win the top prize in Beijing, becoming the first ever British student to win this prize. Maybe he should thank the LSE for this good luck.
The LSE has a well-deserved reputation for academic excellence. It prides itself on its diversity of students from over 140 countries. Many of them then returned home to become leaders in their respective fields. Among them are some distinguished Chinese diplomats, including the current Chinese Foreign Minister Mr Yang Jiechi. I am delighted to learn that the LSE is now home to over 500 Chinese students.
The LSE China Development Forum comes at an interesting time, with the interesting theme of "Prospects and Challenges–China's global integration".
This is a time of fast development of China's relations with the West. This is also a time when China again comes under the spotlight, after overtaking Japan to become the second largest economy. China's development is attracting growing international attention. People are wondering about how this would impact the international system and where China's relations with the world are headed.
People in the West tend to look at China from many different perspectives:
Some see China as a threat.
They look at the modern history of Western nations and conclude that "Rising powers are bound to seek hegemony".They see the shifting balance in the international political landscape with a zero-sum mentality. They believe China is "hiding its capabilities and biding its time" before pressing forward to dominate the region and ultimately the world. They point to recent acts by China to safeguard its sovereignty in the East and South China Seas as evidence of China's assertiveness.
Let me quote from Secretary Hilary Clinton, who spoke about this just last week–"Some in the region and some here at home see China's growth as a threat that will lead either to Cold-War-style conflict or American decline. …We reject those views."
I believe upholding principles and being assertive are two different things. What really matters is whether a country is on the right side. You can only make a strong case with good reasons. For China, safeguarding its interests in sovereignty, security and development is the right thing to do. This is a major principle in China's foreign policy, and is also a principle in international relations.
Some believe China should take up more international responsibilities.
These people complain that China has not fully honoured its obligations. They believe that China free-rides the current international system. It benefits significantly from globalisation and trade liberalisation, but is reluctant to assume the responsibilities of a major power. They criticize China for lack of responsibility in climate change, the Korean nuclear issue and global economic imbalances, etc.
Nothing could be further from the truth. China has played an active role recently in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. China is taking an active part in the reform of the international economic and financial structures, in UN peacekeeping missions and in the fight against piracy. It is committed to working with other countries for solutions to global issues from climate change to international development.
Others see China as "a laggard" in certain aspects.
They believe that despite China's economic strength, it has not kept pace in the areas of politics, ideology and values. This reflects a self-centred attempt to impose Western values and standards onto China. It defies common sense and logic to believe three decades of reform and opening-up have only brought China economic growth, but not political and social progress. Such logic is flawed in theory and in practice, as China has come a long way in its political and social development. Its political system is making balanced and coordinated progress towards stability, democracy and efficiency. And Chinese society has become more open and diverse, resulting in people not only becoming wealthier, but also happier.
Lastly, some believe China's future is uncertain.
They are torn between hope and fear for China's development, but unsure which way China will turn. This view of China has a large following in the West. It may sound neutral, but it can easily lead to confusion and even miscalculation. That could result in lost opportunities for cooperation and damage to their own development.
So, how does China see its role and relationship with the world?
China made this very clear three years ago. In his report to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party in 2007, President Hu Jintao commented that "China's relations with the world have gone through historic changes. China cannot develop in isolation from the world, and the world's prosperity and stability requires China's contribution. China's future and destiny are increasingly linked to the rest of the world." The international financial crisis has only reaffirmed China's commitment to harmonious development and a positive relationship with the world.
To achieve the goals of successful development,
Firstly, China's development is peaceful. China is still a developing country and development remains our top priority. China needs a peaceful international environment to develop, and is ready to contribute more to world peace as it develops. China's development of defence capabilities are for self-defence. Hegemony or expansion is neither a tradition nor an option for China. We stand for non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and call for negotiated solutions to international disputes.
Secondly, China's development is open and inclusive. Development can never be achieved behind closed doors. China recently formulated its "12th Five-Year Plan", which called for greater openness in more areas, and a more active role in global economic governance and regional cooperation. To achieve this, we will engage with the world with an open mind. We will borrow from the fine cultural traditions and useful experiences of other countries, and strengthen international exchanges and cooperation.
Thirdly, China's development is a win-win. As an old Chinese saying goes, "A noble man acquires wealth by honourable means". China's development will not be achieved through a beggar-thy-neighbour approach. On the contrary, we will work with others to make the world economy bigger and share the benefits with others. China supports the EU's financial stabilisation measures, as they are in China's interests. The Chinese economy would not escape should the euro collapse. We are all together in a world of interdependence and interconnected interests between countries as a result of globalisation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
China's development is an on-going process. It requires efforts by itself. It also calls for closer interaction with the world. China is adapting to its new position in the world and trying to overcome its "growing pains".
More than 700 years ago, the Italian poet Dante wrote in his epic poem the Divine Comedy, "Go your own way; let others talk!" What we are doing today is to: "Go our own way; but let others understand!"
We hope the world will appreciate and take the opportunities created by China's development, and work closely with China to bring real benefits to the people.
Yesterday President Hu Jintao just concluded his state visit to the United States. This was an important and fruitful visit that opens a new chapter in China-US relations. China and the United States stress the importance to approach China-US relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective by stepping up dialogue, exchanges and cooperation. We are committed to a political relationship of equality and mutual trust, focusing on areas of agreement rather than differences; We are equally committed to an economic relationship of cooperation and mutual benefit; We are also committed to a global partnership to meet global challenges. We will encourage closer interaction and friendship between our two peoples, and foster a good relationship of deep-going discussions and candid dialogue at the top level.
If China and the United States, two major countries with very different social systems, cultural traditions and stages of development, are committed to working together to build a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, why should we doubt the future of China's relations with the world?!
To conclude, I wish the forum a great success.
Thank you.