CHINA'S PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT
China organized a massive military parade on Sept. 3 last year to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
It was a picture-perfect parade to show the world how far the country has come after a bitter victory seven decades ago and also how far it will go for hard-won peace and order.
On the Tian'anmen Rostrum, where late Chinese leader Mao Zedong pronounced the birth of New China in 1949, Xi highlighted China's aspirations for peace while announcing a slash in the number of military troops by 300,000.
"China will remain committed to peaceful development. We Chinese love peace. No matter how much stronger it may become, China will never seek hegemony or expansion. It will never inflict its past suffering on any other nation," Xi said.
As the world's second largest economy is still a developing country, it needs a stable environment both at home and at its doorstep to sustain growth.
A nation charting new courses to its rejuvenation, the country now needs a peaceful international environment more than ever.
COOPERATION, NOT CONFRONTATION
Cooperation is another keyword in Xi's diplomatic master plan. The Belt and Road Initiative illustrates China's aspiration for cooperation.
The initiative, which is comprised of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was brought up by Xi in 2013, with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.p So far, more than 60 countries and international organizations have expressed interest in active involvement in the construction of the Belt and the Road, while a number of major bilateral and multilateral projects have been under way.
The China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), formally established last month, also adds to that vision of connectivity across Asia.
Tasked with financing infrastructure construction across Asia, it took just two years for the bank to develop from an idea on paper to a fully-fledged body with 57 developed and developing nations as prospective founding members.
A CHINESE SOLUTION
In a world struggling with sluggish economic recovery and no new growth engines yet in sight, Xi has offered a Chinese solution to the much needed world economic governance reform.
The 2014 APEC Beijing meetings, themed "Shaping the Future Through Asia-Pacific Partnership," saw APEC members agree to start a joint strategic study on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), marking the official launch of the FTAAP process.
China is also staking its leading role in a global climate deal in Paris, where envoys from nearly 200 countries approved in December a landmark climate accord which stated that global warming should be capped at two degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels.
By submitting its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) and pledging 20 billion yuan (3.1 billion U.S. dollars) to help other developing countries cope with climate change, China has set an exemplary role model for the world.
As the year 2016 begins, China is again at a new starting line in its race toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As China pursues a new-type international relations featuring cooperation and win-win results, the world will continue to benefit from China's development.
