H.E. Wang Yi

Chinas Diplomacy in 2021：

Embracing a Global Vision and Serving the Nation and its People

Address by H.E. Wang Yi

State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Symposium on the International Situation and Chinas Foreign Relations in 2021

Beijing， 20 December 2021

Experts and Friends，

Good morning！

I am delighted to join you again to take stock of international developments and Chinas foreign relations during this year. Let me first take this opportunity to thank you for your longstanding interest in and support for our diplomatic work. I sincerely welcome your input and insights on Chinas diplomacy.

During the past year， the world has witnessed a persistent and unchecked pandemic， accelerating changes unseen in a century and a period of turbulence and transformation globally. Confronted by unprecedented challenges， countries around the world are looking for answers and humanity are required to make the right choice.

Standing at this crossroads， we have observed two opposite trends at play. One is to revert to a Cold War mentality to deepen division and antagonism， and stoke confrontation between blocs. The other is to act by the common well-being of humanity to increase solidarity and cooperation， advocate openness and win-win results， and promote equality and respect. The tug of war between these two trends will shape the future of humanity and our planet in a profound way.

China has all along stood on the right side of history， and on the side of human progress， the side of international equity and justice， and the side of the vast developing countries. We have drawn experience and wisdom from the 100-year journey of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， and forged ahead in keeping with the general trend， overall dynamics and entire course of history. We have chosen cooperation over confrontation， openness over isolation， mutual benefit over zero-sum game， and equality over power politics and bullying. Together with all peace-loving countries and peoples in the world， we have endeavored to keep the wheels of human development rolling toward a brighter future.

For Chinas diplomacy， the past year has seen us acting under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core， embracing a global vision and serving the nation and our people. We have opened up new vistas amidst global changes， turned crises into opportunities in a complex world， and steadfastly forged ahead through struggle as well as cooperation. For Chinas diplomacy over the past year， the strongest guide of action is head-of-state diplomacy， the most distinct banner is building a community with a shared future for mankind， the most prominent topic is to tell the world stories of the Chinese people and the CPC， and the most remarkable feature is to adapt to changes properly and keep breaking new ground. Underlying everything we have done， there is one clear theme： to serve national rejuvenation amidst a complex situation and advance peaceful development in a fast-changing world.

Great endeavors have been made on the nine fronts：

First， facing a once-in-a-century， protracted and resurging pandemic， we have conducted effective anti-COVID diplomacy and fulfilled the responsibility of a major country. With the pandemic already claiming over 5.3 million precious lives， it is imperative for the international community to enhance cooperation against the pandemic. China has set a good example of COVID response through a “dynamic zero-COVID” strategy as well as a good example of solidarity against the pandemic through greater international cooperation. With concrete actions， we have spearheaded the path to emerging from the darkest hour of the pandemic and kept moving forward.

We have explored the right direction for global COVID response. From the World Health Assembly to the Global Health Summit， from UN events to bilateral phone calls and virtual meetings， President Xi Jinping has， during the most critical moments， advocated the Global Vaccine Cooperation Action Initiative and the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on COVID-19 Vaccines Cooperation. Under President Xi Jinpings leadership， China has been a pace-setter for strengthening international cooperation， upheld the primary feature of vaccines as a global public good， and been at the forefront of efforts for the equitable distribution of vaccines. This stood in sharp contrast with a certain countrys political manipulation that undermined global solidarity against COVID-19.

We have provided powerful tools for defeating the virus. China was among the first to commit to making COVID vaccines a global public good， to support waiving intellectual property rights on the vaccines， and to start joint production with other developing countries. To date， we have provided close to two billion doses of vaccines to over 120 countries as well as international organizations， accounting for one-third of the total number of vaccines administered outside China. This is more than any other country in the world. While a certain country has hoarded vaccines and practiced “vaccine nationalism”， Chinese vaccines has become “vaccines for the people”， “vaccines of the world” and “vaccines truly accessible”， bringing hope to the global community.

We have assisted other developing countries in a time of urgent need. The current “vaccine divide” has been the biggest impediment to ending the pandemic， with only five percent of the population in low-income countries fully vaccinated. Showing great care for other developing countries， President Xi Jinping has pledged another one billion doses of vaccines to Africa， including 600 million doses as donation， to support the African Unions goal of vaccinating 60 percent of the African population. An initiative has been put forward to build a “health shield” for ASEAN countries by donating an additional 150 million doses of vaccines to them. Three billion US dollars has been pledged over the next three years to help fellow developing countries contain the virus and revive the economy. China has also supported Chinese companies in transferring technology to other developing countries and carrying out joint production with 19 countries so that vaccines could literally travel across mountains and oceans and win the race against the virus.

We have stood for a collaborative approach to COVID-19 origins-tracing. The coronavirus is the common enemy of mankind， and the “political virus” has been behind the spread of COVID-19. China has taken an active part in the global， science-based efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus. China and the World Health Organization （WHO） have released a joint report on the origins of the virus， demonstrating a commitment to openness， transparency and international cooperation. The political attacks by a certain country under the camouflage of origins-tracing undermined global solidarity and collaboration against the pandemic， and stimulated the physical spread of the virus. Over 80 countries have written to the WHO to express their opposition to politicization of origins-tracing. More than 25 million Chinese have joined the online petition calling for the WHO to investigate the Fort Detrick bio-lab. The consensus is becoming global to reject politicization， stigmatization and the use of origins-tracing as an instrument for political maneuvering. In the end， both the coronavirus and the political virus will be defeated by humanity.

Second， facing multiple risks to global development， we have injected new impetus into economic recovery and created new opportunities for common development. Development is an unending pursuit of humanity and economic recovery the shared goal of all countries. At the moment， the global recovery remains fragile and tortuous. Inflation， debt， energy and supply chain crises have become intertwined. The gains of poverty reduction have been seriously eroded. The North-South gap has widened. All this has made it a daunting task to fully implement the UNs 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Over the past year， we have focused on development as the solution to all problems and made dedicated efforts toward more robust， green and balanced global development. President Xi Jinping has officially put forth a Global Development Initiative aimed at enhancing all peoples well-being and realizing all-round human development. It dovetails with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development， and prioritizes cooperation on poverty reduction， food security， COVID response and vaccines， development financing， climate change， green development， industrialization， digital economy and connectivity. We hope to see greater global synergy and support for this Initiative， which will help re-energize efforts for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In launching this major initiative， China endeavors to contribute to the global development cause. Already， the Global Development Initiative has received endorsement and support from UN agencies and many other international organizations， together with some 100 countries in the world.

Over the past year， we have opened up Chinas economy at a higher level and given a strong boost to global economic recovery. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Chinas accession to the World Trade Organization. On many occasions including the Boao Forum for Asia， the World Economic Forum in Davos， the China International Fair for Trade in Services and the China International Import Expo （CIIE）， President Xi Jinping have announced a string of new measures， such as a shorter negative list， a more business-friendly environment and greater institutional opening-up， to open wider to the world and share Chinas development opportunities with other countries. The fourth CIIE in November drew a record number of 127 countries and regions and as many as 3，000 companies， which speaks volumes about the appeal of the massive Chinese market. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will enter into force in just 11 days， marking the official launch of the worlds most promising free trade area serving the largest number of people. China has also applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement， thus taking new steps toward openness and cooperation in the face of protectionist headwinds. These are good news for the outlook of the global recovery.

The year 2021 also witnessed Belt and Road cooperation making headway despite various difficulties. The third symposium on the Belt and Road Initiative （BRI） has drawn up a new blueprint. In the first ten months of this year， Chinas trade in goods with BRI partner countries rose by 23 percent， and China-Europe Railway Express saw accelerated growth in freight services and cargo volume， both bucking the downward trends elsewhere. The China-Laos Railway is officially up and running， fulfilling the long-held dream of the Lao people to turn their land-locked country into a land-linked one. With the support of 144 countries and 32 international organizations， the BRI is fast becoming “a belt of prosperity” benefiting the world and “a road of happiness” benefiting all peoples.

Third， facing the contest between true and false multilateralism， we have held high the torch of true multilateralism， and firmly upheld the authority of the UN and a stable international order.

This year， we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the Peoples Republic of China in the United Nations （UN）. Chinas return to the UN was a major event that changed the world and marked a revitalization of multilateralism. For the past 50 years， China has worked relentlessly for the vision of the UN and become a staunch force for promoting world peace and development.