An Important Force for Safeguarding World Peace and Development (International Forum)

Source: People's Daily

I had just entered the Spanish diplomatic service when the People's Republic of China regained its legitimate seat in the United Nations in 1971. I believed at the time that only by restoring the legitimate seat of the People's Republic of China, which has hundreds of millions of people, can the United Nations truly become a universally representative international organization. The restoration of New China's legitimate seat in the United Nations has opened a new chapter in China's cooperation with the United Nations, which is a landmark and important event of the 20th century. Just over a year later, Spain established diplomatic relations with China.

China has continuously contributed to the development of the United Nations and has become an important force in safeguarding world peace and development. Today, China is the largest contributor to the Second General Assembly of the United Nations and a contributor to peacekeeping operations, as well as the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the permanent members of the Security Council. China has always pursued an independent foreign policy of peace, and as early as the 1950s, it jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence with India and Myanmar. As the largest developing country, China has always firmly supported all countries in exploring a development path suited to their own national conditions, firmly safeguarding the common interests of the vast number of developing countries, calling for the peaceful settlement of disputes through diplomatic and political channels, and making important contributions to safeguarding international fairness and justice.

China's ties with the world are getting closer and closer. Since the reform and opening up, China has explored a unique development path and played an increasingly important role in the world economy. Since 1987, I have served as Spain's ambassador to China three times, spent a total of 12 years in China, and witnessed the great changes in China. With the deepening of the reform and opening up process, China has the world's largest and fast-growing middle-income group, forming the world's largest market with development potential, providing important opportunities for the development of other countries. China has actively shared development dividends with other countries and put forward initiatives such as jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, which has promoted infrastructure construction and interconnection among countries along the route.

The important role played by China in promoting the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is obvious to all. The Chinese government has led hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, made outstanding contributions to the cause of poverty reduction in the world, and provided important development experience for other countries. China announced that it will strive to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, setting an example for the global response to climate change.

Peace and prosperity in the 21st century depend on the inclusiveness of the world. Despite differences and differences between different countries, more and more countries recognize that international cooperation is indispensable to overcoming the common challenges facing mankind, whether in fighting the epidemic, responding to climate change or promoting the recovery and development of the world economy. The world needs more cooperation than confrontation, more connectivity than containment, and only then will we have a peaceful and prosperous future.

China's active participation in global governance and the maintenance of multilateralism have been widely recognized. President Xi Jinping's concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind abandons the traditional thinking of "national strength must be hegemonic", plans a new path for friendly exchanges between countries in the world, and depicts a new vision for the future of international relations. China has always been an advocate and defender of an open world economy and a multilateral international order, and Europe shares a consistent position with China on these issues. It is believed that China will continue to deepen reform and expand opening up in the future, and it is also expected that Europe and China will continue to strengthen cooperation in various fields and contribute more to world peace and development.

(The writer is a former Spanish ambassador to China)