Strengthen confidence and overcome difficulties together to build a better world

Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition

Mr. President,

2021 is a very special year for Chinese people. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People's Republic of China's legitimate seat in the United Nations, and China will solemnly commemorate this historic event. We will continue to actively promote china-UN cooperation to a new level and continuously make new and greater contributions to the noble cause of the UN.

Sir!

A year ago, leaders of all countries jointly attended the series of summits marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, issued a political declaration, and pledged to cooperate in fighting the epidemic, working together to meet challenges, uphold multilateralism, strengthen the role of the United Nations, and build a common future for present and future generations.

In the past year, the world's unprecedented changes in a century and the global pandemic of the new crown pneumonia epidemic have intertwined the impact. The people of all countries have more earnest expectations for peaceful development, their voices for fairness and justice have become stronger, and their pursuit of win-win cooperation has become firmer.

At present, the epidemic is still raging around the world, and human society has been profoundly changed. The world has entered a new period of turbulent change. Every responsible politician must answer the issues of the times and make historical choices with confidence, courage, and responsibility.

First, we must defeat the pandemic and win this major struggle for the future and destiny of mankind. A history of world civilization is also a history of the struggle against the plague, and mankind has always achieved greater development and progress in constantly overcoming challenges. Although this epidemic is fierce, we will eventually win the battle.

We must adhere to the supremacy of the people and the supremacy of life, and care for the life, value and dignity of everyone. It is necessary to carry forward the spirit of science, uphold a scientific attitude, follow scientific laws, coordinate normalization and precise prevention and control and emergency response, and coordinate epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development. It is necessary to strengthen international joint prevention and control to minimize the risk of cross-border spread of the epidemic.

Vaccines are a powerful weapon against outbreaks. I have stressed many times that to ensure the accessibility and affordability of vaccines as a global public good, it is imperative that vaccines be distributed fairly and equitably on a global scale. China will strive to provide 2 billion doses of vaccines to the outside world throughout the year, and on top of donating US$100 million to the COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan, it will donate another 100 million doses of vaccines to developing countries free of charge during the year. China will continue to support and participate in global scientific traceability and resolutely oppose any form of political manipulation.

Second, we must revive the economy and promote stronger, greener and healthier global development. Development is the key to achieving people's happiness. In the face of the severe impact of the epidemic, we must jointly promote global development to a new stage of balance, coordination and inclusiveness. Here, I would like to propose a global development initiative:

-- Adhere to the priority of development. Put development in a prominent position in the global macro policy framework, strengthen policy coordination among major economies, maintain continuity, stability and sustainability, build a more equitable and balanced global partnership for development, promote synergy in the process of multilateral development cooperation, and accelerate the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

-- Persist in taking the people as the center. In the course of development, we should safeguard and improve people's livelihood, protect and promote human rights, ensure that development is for the people, development depends on the people, and the fruits of development are shared by the people, and the people's sense of happiness, sense of gain, and security is continuously enhanced, so as to achieve all-round human development.

-- Adhere to inclusiveness. Pay attention to the special needs of developing countries, support developing countries, especially fragile countries with particularly great difficulties, through debt relief and development assistance, and strive to solve the problem of unbalanced and insufficient development between and within countries.

-- Adhere to innovation-driven. Seize the historic opportunity of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into real productive forces, create an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory scientific and technological development environment, tap the new momentum of post-epidemic economic growth, and work together to achieve leapfrog development.

-- Adhere to the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Improve global environmental governance, actively respond to climate change, and build a community of human and natural life. Accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation and achieve green recovery and development. China will strive to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, which will require hard work, but we will do our best. China will vigorously support the green and low-carbon development of energy in developing countries and will not build new overseas coal power projects。

-- Adhere to the action orientation. Increase investment in development resources, focus on promoting cooperation in poverty reduction, food security, anti-epidemic and vaccines, financing for development, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy, connectivity and other fields, accelerate the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and build a global community with a shared future for development. China has announced that it will provide another US$3 billion in international assistance over the next three years to support developing countries in fighting the epidemic and restoring economic and social development.

Third, we must strengthen solidarity and practice the concept of international relations of mutual respect and win-win cooperation. A peaceful and developing world should carry different forms of civilization and must be compatible with the diverse paths towards modernization. Democracy is not the preserve of any country, but the right of peoples. Recent developments in the international situation have once again proved that external military intervention and so-called democratic transformation are of infinite harm. We must vigorously promote the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind, and abandon small circles and zero-sum games.

It is inevitable that there will be differences and contradictions between countries, but dialogue and cooperation should be carried out on the basis of equality and mutual respect. The success of one country does not mean that another country is bound to fail, and the world is fully tolerant of the common growth and progress of all countries. We must adhere to dialogue rather than confrontation, inclusiveness without exclusivity, build a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation, expand the convergence of interests, and draw the largest concentric circles.

What the Chinese nation inherits and pursues is the concept of peace, harmony and harmony. We have not, and will not invade, bully, or claim hegemony in the past, nor will we claim hegemony. China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of international order, and a provider of public goods, and will continue to provide new opportunities for the world with China's new development.

Fourth, we must improve global governance and practice true multilateralism. There is only one system in the world, and that is the international system with the United Nations at its core. There is only one order, and that is an international order based on international law. There is only one set of rules, which is the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

The United Nations should hold high the banner of genuine multilateralism and become the core platform for all countries to jointly safeguard universal security, share the fruits of development and jointly grasp the destiny of the world. It is necessary to devote ourselves to stabilizing the international order, enhancing the representativeness and voice of the vast number of developing countries in international affairs, and taking the lead in promoting the democratization and rule of law in international relations. It is necessary to promote work in the three major areas of security, development and human rights in a balanced manner, formulate a common agenda, focus on prominent issues, focus on taking action, and implement the commitments of all parties to multilateralism.

The world stands at the crossroads of history again. I firmly believe that the tide of peaceful development and progress of mankind is unstoppable. Let us strengthen our confidence, work together to deal with global threats and challenges, promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, and jointly build a better world!

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 21)