Yang Jiechi Quotes

We believe that peace and development are still the prevailing trend of the times, and that peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation remain the shared aspiration of all peoples. China calls for establishing a new type of international relations characterized by mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, and for building a community with a shared future for mankind. This is both our vision and our guide for action.

Sovereignty is a bottom line for China. Big as China is, we cannot afford to give away a single inch of territory that our ancestors have left to us. China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea have been formed over the course of over two thousand years. They are fully backed by historical and legal evidence.

And for China, we will manage our own affairs well, and we hope to deliver a better life for our 1.4 billion Chinese people. This is the goal of China's diplomacy. And also, we will make our contribution to the peace and stability of the world.

In the last 20 years, China has been able to lift about 230 million people out of poverty -- almost the total population of the United States -- and China is still a developing country. So this is something unprecedented in the world. And if you believe that people vote from their pocketbook, you have to believe that the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people say that this government of China is being very effective in leading the country forward.

China's diplomacy is people's diplomacy. Every success in our diplomacy is attributable to the understanding, support and help of the Chinese people.

Our values are the same as the common values of humanity. Those are: peace, development, fairness, justice, freedom and democracy.

The United States itself does not represent international public opinion, and neither does the Western world. Whether judged by population scale or the trend of the world, the Western world does not represent the global public opinion. So we hope that when talking about universal values or international public opinion on the part of the United States, we hope the U.S. side will think about whether it feels reassured in saying those things, because the U.S. does not represent the world. It only represents the government of the United States.

It is open knowledge, and of course, we think that China's principles stand. On the other hand, we adopt a forward-looking attitude.

The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. A large group of emerging markets and developing countries are growing rapidly. At the same time, unilateralism, protectionism and bullying practices are on the rise in international affairs, bringing more uncertainty and instability to the world.

And with Xinjiang, Tibet and Taiwan, they are an inalienable part of China's territory. China is firmly opposed to U.S. interference in China's internal affairs. We have expressed our staunch opposition to such interference, and we will take firm actions in response.

My visits to African countries have impressed upon me that Africa is a land of promise that has come a long way in its development and shown enormous growth potential. With overall peace and stability, African countries are actively pursuing economic diversification and sustainable, home-grown development, and have maintained the strong momentum of growth.