China reiterates resolve to protect national interests

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated China’s firm resolve to safeguard national interests, while stressing the Chinese side is obliged to speak up for justice when faced with power politics and bullying.

“In 2020, we in the foreign service have forged ahead and tackled the challenges head on,” Wang said, noting China’s diplomacy has worked tirelessly in fighting the coronavirus and the “political virus” at the same time.

“We accord friends with hospitality and partners with cooperation. But we also have to stand our ground when dealing with those who are not so friendly. We are happy to take well-intentioned criticism and go with helpful suggestions. But we have to respond to defamations and attacks,” he said.

Noting that in 2020 China has made more friends in the world, Wang stressed China has been firm in safeguarding national interests.

“We have responded resolutely and rationally to unjustified moves by the United States. We have handled issues relating to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet with justified, strong and proportionate countermeasures and won one fierce battle after another in international organizations, vigorously safeguarding China’s sovereignty, dignity and development interests,” he said.

The Chinese side hopes that the next US administration will return to a sensible approach, resume dialogue with China, restore normalcy to the bilateral relations and restart cooperation. “China-US relations have come to a new crossroads, and a new window of hope is opening,” he said.

“We know that some in the United States are uneasy about China’s rapid development. However, the best way to keep one’s lead is through constant self-improvement, not by blocking others’ development,” he said, adding that the Chinese side believes that as long as the United States can draw lessons from the past and work with China in the same direction, the two countries are capable of resolving differences through dialogue and expanding converging interests by cooperation.

Looking ahead to China’s diplomacy in 2021, Wang noted that China will further upgrade opening-up and cooperation, expressing the readiness to share with the world China’s “development dividends.” “We will advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, tap into the strength of China’s enormous market and its potential of domestic demand, boost global recovery with our own growth,” he said.

In 2020, China has signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and concluded negotiations on a China-EU investment agreement.

Wang said the year 2021 is a year of special importance for China-Russia relations, as both countries will enter a new development stage.