China Will Unswervingly Follow the Path of Peaceful Development

Dai Bingguo

China Will Unswervingly Follow the Path of Peaceful Development

Dai Bingguo

At the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century and on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese government issued the white paper China’s Peaceful Development, solemnly declaring to the whole world once again that peaceful development is a strategic choice made by China to realize modernization, make itself strong and its people prosperous, and make more contributions to durable peace and common prosperity of the world. China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development. It can be said that this white paper is a manifesto and guidelines for China’s peaceful development.

Rooted in China’s history and culture and incepted from its development practices, the path of peaceful development is based on the basic conditions of the country and sublimates the national will of China while keeping with the trend of cooperation in the world. Set on a solid foundation, peaceful development is a strategic and reasonable choice made by the Chinese government and people and it will constantly improve in the course of practice. In the meanwhile, China needs the understanding, support and cooperation from the rest of the world for its peaceful development.

The Chinese civilization has the feature of being strongly enduring, inclusive and open.

First, China’s peaceful development is not something like water without source or a tree without roots but has long and profound historical and cultural origins. Anyone knowing a little of Chinese history is aware that today’s China grows from more than 5,000 years of civilization and that the Chinese civilization has the feature of being strongly enduring, inclusive and open. Harmonious culture and peaceful thinking have a penetrating impact on the mental world of Chinese people from generation to generation and become an important value concept and philosophical thinking for the Chinese people to handle relations between man and man, man and nature, and even state and state. China suffered greatly from foreign aggression and colonization in modern times, and the Chinese people who have regained independence and liberation will never impose the sufferings they experienced on others.

Second, China’s path of peaceful development is not concocted by a few people out of nothing but rather comes into being in the course of gradual exploration in the more than 60 years since the founding of New China and especially in the great practice of reform and opening-up. The 30-odd years of reform and opening-up, a process of constant probing for a new path for China’s modernization and peaceful development, have not only scored remarkable development for China itself but also brought tremendous well-being to the world. Hence, it is not only in the interests of the Chinese people but also accords with the common interests of the whole mankind. The path of peaceful development declared by the white paper is precisely the scientific summation and sublimation of this historic exploration and practice of the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC. There is no reason at all for the Chinese people to deviate from this path that has undergone the test of practice and proven to be beneficial to both Chinese and world people.

China’s declaration of commitment to peaceful development is not an act of expediency to bide its time.

Third, the pursuit of the path of peaceful development is not an expedient measure or a strategy of lying low to bide one’s time taken by China but a long-term strategic choice China made with all sincerity and willingness in accordance with the basic conditions in the country. Everyone knows that a big population but a weak economic base, large economic aggregates but small per-capita figures, and uneven and unbalanced development are realities of China, the largest developing country in the world. It is true that we have scored remarkable achievements to be pride of in the past several decades but we must be soberly aware that China’s comprehensive national strength still lags far behind that of the developed countries. The realization of overall modernization for one-fifth of the world’s population and prosperity for all Chinese people is a long-term and arduous undertaking that calls for China to concentrate its efforts on developing the economy and improving the people’s well-being, and tackling difficult problems rarely seen in human history. Meanwhile, China also needs durable peaceful and stable international and domestic environments as well as long-term friendly coexistence with people of various countries in the world. Even when China grows truly strong someday, peace remains the pre-requisite and guarantee for development, and China shall not deviate from the path of peaceful development.

Fourth, pursuing the path of peaceful development is a voluntary action taken by China; it is not a means to deceive people of other countries but a reasonable choice China made on the basis of sober-minded analysis and scientific judgment on present-day world situation, a choice conforming to world trend. Today in the 21st century, the deepening development of multi-polarity in the world, economic globalization and informationalization of the society has driven the world from isolated to total development, the international community has evolved from a “jungle world”to a “global village”, and inter-dependence and inter-wining of interests of various countries with different systems and cultures and at different development stages have reached an extent never seen in human history in both width and depth, forming a practical community of common destiny in which all members are inseparable from one another. Terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, natural disasters, climate change, environmental incidents, public hygiene issues, financial risks as well as energy resource, grain and water resource security that are too numerous to be mentioned one by one are endangering the sustainable development of the economy and society and indeed the very survival of mankind. Facing with increasingly numerous global issues and common challenges for mankind, the international community must transcend the obsolete zero-sum game, the dangerous cold and hot war mentality as well as all beaten tracks that repeatedly led mankind into confrontation and war, and must work together and help each other like people in the same boat to realize sustainable and inclusive development of various countries and the world as a whole. Other roads should be rejected as they are impassable. China will never go against the trend of history. China opposes hegemonism and will never pursue the old track of seeking hegemony and “practicing hegemony once becoming strong”, for it is a road to destruction. China is pleased to see all countries, weather developing or developed, realize development and prosperity and write new chapters of human progress together.

China’s declaration of peaceful development is not mere lip service or empty talk.

Fifth, set on solid political, policy and strategic foundations, China’s declaration of following the path of peaceful development is not just empty talk but is matched with actions. The whole world sees that pursuing the path of peaceful development has been sublimated to firm resolve of the Party, government and people of China, specified in domestic and foreign policies as well as development strategies and programs of the state, and embodied in the extensive social practices and foreign relations practices in the process of present-day China’s development. The white paper is not a product out of a sudden inspiration but is based on major Party and state documents including the 12th Five-year Plan. It has not only expounded the strategic intention of China’s future development and the way to achieve it but also explained the guidelines and principles with which China handles international affairs and international relations. It has also made clear China’s outlook and views on the world as well as on order, cooperation and responsibility and expressed China’s good aspiration for the future world. China’s peaceful development organically unifies its internal and external strategies, promoting domestically harmony and development and the building of a society of initial prosperity that benefits people of the whole country and pursuing externally peace and cooperation and the building of a harmonious world with durable peace and common prosperity, with the two interrelating and mutually promoting.

Sixth, China’s exploration and practice in pursuing the path of peaceful development has not terminated but is a never-ending, sustaining and constantly-improving process. The world is undergoing unprecedented changes and is developing by leaps and bounds. All doctrines, systems, models, paths, etc., which are subject to the test and selection by history, must progress with the times. Looking around the world, we find that all countries are renewing their understanding on the age we live in and reflecting and adjusting the development paths and models they respectively take. As various countries in the world have vastly different national conditions and are at different development stages, there is not a universally applicable and fixed path and model of development for all countries. China’s path of peaceful development comes into being through protracted practice and exploration on the basis of its national conditions and by drawing on the experience of other peoples and hence it cannot be copied and exported. We are deeply aware that it is most difficult to realize reform and development in China, a country with a huge population and complex conditions, and we profoundly understand the protractedness, arduousness and complexity of pursuing the path of peaceful development. We must pay high attention to studying new situations, resolving new problems and summarizing new experience to improve the path of peaceful development and we must set great store in modestly learn the development ideas and experience of other peoples. We Chinese are not gods and we do not claim that what we do in pursuing peaceful development leaves nothing to be desired. China appreciates all friendly suggestions, beneficial exchanges and well-intentioned criticisms.

China’s peaceful development is part and parcel of the peaceful development of the whole world.

Seventh, following the path of peaceful development is not a matter for China alone; China needs the understanding, support and cooperation from the international community in doing so. Being rich in scientific content and bearing the distinct features of the times, China’s path of peaceful development is a broad road leading to affluence and happiness for the Chinese people. Enjoying extensive support from the people and having bright prospects, this path, as practice has proved, is viable. China’s peaceful development is part and parcel of the peaceful development of the whole world. As CPC General Secretary Hu Jintao pointed out in his speech at the meeting celebrating the Party’s 90th anniversary, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people have all along been a positive force in promoting peace and development in the world. Making due contribution to mankind is a solemn commitment made by the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese people long ago. The pursuit of peaceful development by China, the biggest developing country in the world, is in itself a tremendous contribution to the cause of peace and development of mankind. As following the path of peaceful development by China with one-fifth of the world’s population is a great exploration and practice unprecedented in human history and beneficial to the Chinese and world people, it undoubtedly needs the understanding, support and cooperation from the international community. The achievements in development already scored by China are closely related to long-term friendly cooperation from various countries in the world, and China needs further solicitude, understanding, support and cooperation from the international community in its future development because of the difficulties and problems lying ahead. The 21st century should be a century of peace, development and cooperation. China always holds high the banner of peace, development and cooperation, properly handles its relations with the outside world, and is always a major responsible member of the international community as well as a constructive force and a reliable partner. What China’s development brings to the world is fortune and opportunity rather than misfortune or threat or challenge. We sincerely hope the international community will have a deeper understanding of China’s time-honored cultural traditions and the evolution of China’s social and political systems as well as mainstream values, respect China’s sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and social stability that the Chinese people hold dear, show regard to China’s core interests and concerns, and appreciate the various difficulties and problems China needs to address in its development. It should have confidence in the sincerity and determination of the Chinese people in pursuing the path of peaceful development and genuinely appreciate and support China for following the path of peaceful development instead of fearing and obstructing China in doing so.

China is sincere and determined in pursuing the path of peaceful development.

In peaceful development, China’s strategic intention is transparent, its goal is noble and its policies are explicit. China is sincere and determined in pursuing the path of peaceful development. We are deeply aware that it is not all plain sailing on this road. This, however, will not undermine in the slightest way the resolve of the Chinese people in surmounting all difficulties to press ahead and unswervingly marching forward along the path of peaceful development, because that will benefit not only the Chinese people but also the entire humanity.

H.E. Dai Bingguo is State Councilor of the People’s Republic of China.