Keynote Speech by H.E. State Councilor and Foreign
Minister Qin Gang At the Opening Ceremony of The Lanting
Forum on Chinese Modernization and the World
Your Excellency Secretary Chen Jining,
President Wu Hailong,
Diplomatic Envoys,
Distinguished Guests,
Friends,
Good morning. I am very pleased to join you at the Meet-
the-World Lounge by the Huangpu River. This is the first
Lanting Forum event in Shanghai. My heartfelt appreciation
goes to Secretary Chen Jining and the Shanghai municipal
government for your strong support.
Shanghai is the right place for our Forum themed “Chinese
Modernization and the World”. As is often said, you should go
to Shanghai if you want to know about the last 100 years of
China. A little over a century ago, the Communist Party of
China (CPC) started its journey from here. Since then, Shanghai
has witnessed not only the vicissitudes of the Chinese nation,
but also the profound transformation across the country. The old
Shanghai, dominated by foreign powers, is a forerunner today in
China’s reform and opening-up. A bustling and prosperous
metropolis has risen from devastation since 1949. As China’s
biggest economic and innovation powerhouse and a trading and
shipping hub of the world, Shanghai is leading the trends of our
times and development. It is a shining hallmark of the Chinese
path to modernization.
Friends,
A towering tree grows from its roots, and a long river flows
from its source. Likewise, our success in Chinese modernization
was not handed down from the heaven or just emerged by itself.
It has been attained step by step through determined, painstaking
efforts of the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC
always staying true to its founding mission. Chinese
modernization is deeply rooted in Chinese history, practices and
philosophies.
Chinese modernization is the natural choice of China’s 100-
year-long quest for development. Modernization for China has
been a journey of hardship and perseverance, anguish and glory,
honor and dreams. During modern times, countless patriots
looked to the West for a formula of modernization to save the
nation, but they all failed. It was not until the birth of the CPC in
1921 that China found the pillar and guidance for its
modernization. It is under the CPC’s strong leadership that we
have embarked on the great journey of independently building a
modern country. We have turned China from an impoverished
and backward land into the world’s second largest economy, top
trader in goods, biggest holder of foreign exchange reserves, and
biggest manufacturer. We have put in place the world’s largest
compulsory education system, social security system, and
medical and health system. China has realized, in a short span of
several decades, industrialization that had taken developed
countries several centuries. We have caught up with the times in
great strides.
Chinese modernization is the natural requirement for
promoting national rejuvenation on all fronts. As of the 18th
CPC National Congress, under the strong leadership of the CPC
Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the
“acceleration button” was pressed in China’s modernization
drive. The two major miracles — fast economic development
and long-term social stability — continued. Absolute poverty
was eradicated. A moderately prosperous society in all respects
became a reality. With this, the First Centenary Goal was
realized. The Chinese nation has achieved a great transformation
from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong.
National rejuvenation is now on an irreversible course. At the
National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s
Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sessions last month,
General Secretary Xi Jinping was again unanimously elected
President of the People’s Republic of China. It was a choice by
history and by the people. With the conviction and responsibility
of “serving the people selflessly”, President Xi Jinping is
steering Chinese modernization forward and leading us in
marching on the right path toward a better future.
Chinese modernization is a natural outcome of the laws
governing human development. Modernization is a common
cause of all humanity. Although the West enjoyed the fruits of
modernization ahead of others, history will not end there. As
early as 140 years ago, Karl Marx envisioned crossing the
Caudine Forks of capitalism, providing a solid theoretical basis
for a path of modernization different from that of the West.
Through the past 100 years and more, China has found by itself
a path to modernization, and created a new form of human
advancement. Ample facts have proved that there is no fixed
model of, or single solution to, modernization. Any country can
achieve modernization, as long as the path suits its conditions
and answers the need of its people for development. On the
contrary, mechanically copying ill-fitted foreign models is
counter-productive, and may even lead to catastrophic
consequences.
Friends,
As a Chinese saying goes, “A just cause should be pursued
for the common good.” As the biggest developing country,
China always keeps in mind the greater good of the whole
world. The Chinese path to modernization is not a one-flower
show, still less for self-interest. It is a path toward development
of China, through which more positive energy will be added to
global peace and new opportunities created for global
development. Here is what I believe:
The modernization of China with such a huge population will
be a stronger boost for global economic recovery. Over the past
40-plus years since reform and opening-up, the Chinese
government has lifted over 800 million people out of poverty,
and enlarged the middle-income group to over 400 million
people. Today, China is the main trading partner of over 140
countries and regions, making US$320 million direct investment
around the world each day and attracting over 3,000 foreign
businesses every month. Over the past decade, China has
contributed more to global growth than all the G7 countries
combined.
With over 1.4 billion people on course toward
modernization, a number larger than the combined population of
all developed countries, China will give a much stronger
impetus for the global economy. The China Development Forum
and the Boao Forum for Asia, which were successfully held last
month, attracted many political and business leaders from
around the world. The most repeated call we heard was to seize
the new opportunities that will come along with China’s high-
quality development and high-standard opening-up. The
Number One unanimous view was to reject decoupling and
move forward with China.
The modernization of China with common prosperity for all
will open up a broader path to the common development of all
countries. Modernization should not make the rich richer and the
poor poorer. Nor should it serve the interests of only a few
countries or individuals. Common prosperity for the whole
world requires the development of all countries. The Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Development Initiative
(GDI) are public goods that China offers to the international
community. They are also open platforms for pursuing common
development and prosperity. Ten years on since the start of the
BRI, over 3,000 cooperation projects have been launched,
involving close to US$1 trillion of investment and creating
420,000 jobs for participating countries. Many nations have thus
realized their dreams of railways, big bridges, and poverty
alleviation.
The GDI is also widely welcomed by the international
community. With the support of over 100 countries and many
international organizations, and with some 70 countries in the
Group of Friends of the GDI, the Initiative is giving a strong
boost to the early attainment of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals for 2030. China takes seriously the debt
issue of developing countries. We are actively and fully
implementing the G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative, and
have contributed as much as 63 percent of the total debt
payments suspended. It is fair to say that Chinese modernization
has helped inspire confidence in many countries in their pursuit
of modernization. As an African leader put it, the Chinese path
inspires all developing countries to believe that every country is
able to achieve development even from scratch.
The modernization of China with material and cultural-
ethical advancement will open up bright prospects for human
progress. Some countries, while highly developed in economy,
science and technology, have descended into a capital-centric
mode, rampant materialism, cultural impoverishment, moral
degradation, and public disorder. As President Xi Jinping
underscored, the ultimate goal of modernization is the free and
well-rounded development of people, which means not only
material abundance but also cultural-ethical enrichment.
As a Chinese saying goes, “Only when the granary is full
will people learn etiquette; only when people are well-fed and
clothed will they know honor and shame.” The Chinese nation
always yearns for a world of great harmony in which people are
free from want and follow a high moral standard. It is a world
where people put their cultural pursuit before material needs and
see it as part of their social ideal. Back in the Axial Age 2,500
years ago, philosophers of great civilizations, like Confucius and
Mencius in China and Plato in Greece, went on their respective
yet common pursuit of cultural and ethical enrichment.
Modernization is not the demise of ancient civilizations, but a
renewal of traditional cultures. The Global Civilization Initiative
(GCI) put forth by President Xi Jinping advocates the
importance of inheritance and innovations of civilizations,
promotes the respect for the diversity of civilizations, and
advances the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue
and inclusiveness among civilizations. The Chinese believe that
even for an established country, its future hinges on self-
renewal. Chinese modernization will add new vigor and vitality
to the profound Chinese civilization, and contribute more
Chinese wisdom to global peace and prosperity and to human
progress. We envision a better world in which all civilizations
prosper from generation to generation through constant self-
renewal, enjoying both material abundance and cultural and
ethical advancement.
The modernization of China with harmony between
humanity and nature will provide a more viable pathway to a
clean and beautiful world. As President Xi Jinping noted, lucid
waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. China readily
takes on its responsibility of protecting the environment and
tackling climate change, and leads the world on many counts: in
terms of afforested area, which accounts for a quarter of the
world’s total; in the development and utilization of renewable
energy, with one-third of the world’s installed capacity of wind
and solar power; and in the output and sales of new energy
vehicles, with half of the world’s NEVs running on Chinese
roads. China has made the solemn pledge of achieving carbon
peak and carbon neutrality to the world, and committed itself to
moving from carbon peak to neutrality in just 30 years. That is
at least years less than the United States and 40-plus years less
than the European Union. China has taken the initiative to set up
and invest in the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, and contributed to
the conclusion of the Paris Agreement. Just early this month,
President Xi Jinping and President Emmanuel Macron agreed on
jointly developing a carbon neutrality center, in a bid to add new
momentum to the global low-carbon transition.
The modernization of China on the path of peaceful
development will bring more certainty to world peace and
stability. Dominance and hegemony is not the aim of China’s
development. The notion that strength will lead to hegemony is
incompatible with Chinese culture, and defiance of hegemony is
a noble character of Chinese diplomacy. Until today, China is
the only country in the world that has put in its Constitution the
commitment to a path of peaceful development. China is the top
contributor of peacekeeping personnel among the permanent
members of the UN Security Council, and the only country
among the five Nuclear-Weapon States that has made the
promise of no-first-use of nuclear weapons. We have joined over
20 multilateral arms control treaties, and pushed for the
conclusion of a joint statement among the five Nuclear-Weapon
States on preventing nuclear war. We advocate peaceful
resolution of international disputes through consultation and
dialogue.
The Global Security Initiative (GSI) put forward by
President Xi Jinping has pointed out the right direction of
pursuing common and universal security. As a Chinese proverb
says, it is better to remove enmity than keep it alive. Facilitated
by China, Saudi Arabia and Iran resumed diplomatic relations.
And it is encouraging to see that more countries are shaking
hands and embracing peace. In the face of the protracted
Ukraine crisis, China does not inflame or take advantage of the
situation. Rather, China has taken an impartial stance and
pushed for peace talks in order to reduce the pressure and lower
the temperature around the crisis. Facts have proved that a
China moving toward modernization is a boost to the force for
peace and justice.
Friends,
The 20th CPC National Congress held last October drew up
the blueprint for China’s future development and laid out the
task of advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all
fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Fulfilling this
central task is an unshirkable responsibility for Chinese
diplomacy. We will stay committed to the path of peaceful
development, and to fostering a new type of international
relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win
cooperation. We will work with all countries to build an open,
inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal
security and common prosperity, and develop a community with
a shared future for mankind.
China will defend the right to development of all countries
with greater determination. Modernization is an inalienable right
of every country, not a privilege reserved for a few. Those who
have realized modernization should not tear down the bridge or
block other countries’ path to modernization. And they should
not suppress, contain or stop other countries that choose a
different path to modernization. China has no intention to
engage in major-power competition. What we are firmly
defending is our own development interests and the Chinese
people’s right to pursue a better life. China respects the
modernization path chosen by the people of other countries, and
opposes attempts to create ideological confrontation and a new
Cold War, interference in others’ internal affairs and imposition
of one’s will on others. China stands committed to the right
direction of globalization, opposes attempts to build walls and
barriers and push for decoupling and severing supply chains,
and opposes unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure. China
is doing its utmost to ensure stable and smooth functioning of
industrial and supply chains, so that economic globalization and
the modernization of all countries could move forward in
tandem and complement each other.
China will advance high-standard opening-up with more
proactive efforts. China’s modernization has made advances in
the course of opening-up, and is bound to embrace a brighter
future through opening-up. In hosting the Belt and Road Forum
for International Cooperation and the China International Import
Expo, China will deepen convergence of interests with the
world. We will invest more resources in global development
cooperation, and do our utmost to help relieve the debt burdens
of developing countries. We will endeavor to save international
financial and currency circulation from the plight of speculation,
manipulation, sanction and pressuring, and help it return to its
fundamental purpose of serving the real economy and promoting
modernization.
I’d like to take this opportunity to once again congratulate
Madame Rousseff on assuming the Presidency of the New
Development Bank. I trust the Bank will provide even greater
support to the modernization processes of developing countries.
China will promote more actively exchanges among
civilizations. We call on all countries to promote peace,
development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom — the
common values of humanity, and let cultural exchanges
transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and
coexistence transcend arrogance. We firmly oppose
discrimination against races, countries and civilizations in
international relations. We are ready to explore with all
countries the building of a global network for inter-civilization
dialogue and cooperation, to open up new prospects of enhanced
exchanges and understanding among different peoples and better
interactions and integration of diversified cultures. Together we
can make the garden of civilizations colorful and fragrant.
China will work more vigorously for a community of all life
on Earth. We will step up efforts to build a sound economic
structure that facilitates green, low-carbon and circular
development, and promote a transition to green economic and
social development across the board. Following the principle of
common but differentiated responsibilities, we will actively
participate in international cooperation in climate response,
ocean governance, global biodiversity protection and other
areas, and promote a fair and equitable global environmental
governance system of win-win cooperation, so as to contribute
to addressing global challenges such as climate and environment
and building a clean and beautiful world.
China will safeguard the international order with greater
resolve. Recently, there have been some absurd rhetoric
accusing China of challenging the so-called rules-based
international order, of unilaterally changing the status quo across
the Taiwan Strait through force or coercion, and of disrupting
peace and stability across the Strait. Such claims go against
basic common sense on international relations and historical
justice. The logic is absurd, and the consequences dangerous.
Having suffered among the heaviest casualties in the world anti-
fascist alliance during WWII, and as a founding member of the
UN and the first country to sign the UN Charter, China sees it as
its solemn duty to defend the authority of the UN and uphold the
post-war international order. We have the best record in abiding
by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, international
law and the basic norms of international relations. We need no
reminder by certain countries or groups of countries. Fair-
minded people can see full well who is exploiting and
discarding the UN at its own will, who is disrupting the
international order, and who is engaged in hegemonic, bullying
and high-handed practices.
Friends,
Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China’s territory since
ancient times, and both sides of the Strait belong to one and the
same China. This is Taiwan’s history, and it is also the status
quo of Taiwan. Taiwan’s return to China is a component of the
post-war international order, written in black and white in the
Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation. It is not the
Chinese mainland, but the “Taiwan independence” separatist
forces and a handful of countries attempting to take advantage
of “Taiwan independence”, that are disrupting international
rules, unilaterally changing the status quo, and undermining
stability across the Strait. Their definition of rules, status quo
and stability is in fact aimed to hollow out the one-China
principle, achieve “peaceful division” of China, and ultimately
tamper with the history of WWII, subvert the post-war order,
and trample on China’s sovereignty. This is unacceptable to the
1.4 billion Chinese people. China will not lose any part of its
territory that has been restored. And the established post-war
international order will not be upended.
It is right and proper for China to uphold its sovereignty and
territorial integrity. We would like to make it clear to those who
seek to sabotage international justice in the name of
international order: The Taiwan question is the core of the core
interests of China, and there will be no vagueness at all in our
response to any one who attempts to distort the one-China
principle; we will never back down in face of any act that
undermines China’s sovereignty and security. Those who play
with fire on Taiwan will eventually get themselves burned.
Friends,
As a Chinese saying goes, with thousands of mountains
already behind, the road ahead is full of promises of a budding
spring. While Chinese modernization is conceived in China, the
opportunities it brings belong to the world. We are ready to
work together with all parties to promote diverse ways of
modernization and create an even brighter future for our planet.
To conclude, I wish the Forum a full success. Thank you!
