China's Independent Foreign Policy of Peace Relations with Major Power
  Relations with Neighboring Countries Active Participation in Multilateral Diplomacy
  China's Military Diplomacy in 2004  


China's Independent Foreign Policy of Peace


  The year 2004 has borne witness to China's pragmatic, active and efficient diplomacy. As a dedicated advocator for world peace and common development, China plays a constructive role in international affairs. Thanks to the reform and opening up policy initiated over two decades ago, the country has developed into an engine of global economic growth. More and more countries are strengthening their cooperation with China from a strategic point of view and the country's international standing continues to rise.

China unswervingly pursues an independent foreign policy of peace. The fundamental goals of this policy are to preserve China's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, create a favorable international environment for its reform and opening up and modernization program, maintain world peace and promote common development. The main content of this policy includes:

1. China has continuously adhered to the principle of independence.
2. China opposes hegemonism and preserves world peace.
3. China actively facilitates the establishment of a new international political and economic order that is fair and rational.
4. China is ready to establish and develop friendly relations of cooperation with all countries on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affair, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
5. China pursues a policy of all-dimensional opening up to the outside. It is ready to develop, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, extensive trade relations, economic and technological cooperation and scientific and cultural exchanges with countries and regions of the world, so as to promote common prosperity.
6. China takes an active part in multilateral diplomatic activities and is a staunch force in preserving world peace and facilitating common development.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China actively participates in political solution of regional hot spots. Chinese peacekeepers have joined UN-sponsored operations. China supports the reform of the UN and a continued important role of the UN and other multilateral organs in international affairs. China is firmly opposed to all forms of terrorism and has made important contributions to international anti-terrorism cooperation.

China is devoted to pushing forward the cause of international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. So far, it has joined all the international conventions on arms control and non-proliferation. With regard to non-proliferation, China, while rigorously observing its international commitments, has stepped up efforts to promote non-proliferation legislation. It has put in place a fairly complete system for non-proliferation export control.

The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the protection of human rights. It has made unremitting efforts to that end. China has joined 17 international conventions on human rights including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and signed another two treaties including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which have yet to undergo ratification procedures. Five of these documents call for periodic implementation reports from the signatories. Being committed to its obligations, theChinese Government compiled and submitted reports in real earnest in accordance with those conventions. It also subjected its reports to review in a sincere and cooperative manner. Here is an overview of the implementation reports China has submitted to date: First one to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; five to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, all reviewed; four to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, three reviewed; three to the Convention Against Torture, all reviewed; and two to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, one reviewed.

China will, together with the international community, deal with global problems threatening the development of society such as environmental degradation, resource depletion, poverty, unemployment, population explosion, spread of diseases, narcotics and rampant cross-border crimes through enhanced cooperation.

Summit Diplomacy Highlighting Peace, Development and Cooperation

Chinese leaders were very active on the world stage in 2004, traveling extensively from Europe to Africa and from Asia to Latin America. These bilateral visits and multilateral gatherings all served as a showcase for China's international image of peace, development and cooperation.

President Hu Jintao paid a state visit to France, Egypt, Gabon and Algeria from January 26 to February 4. In 10 short days, the president attended over 60 occasions held in the four European and African countries. Twenty-seven cooperation documents were signed and issued between China and the four countries, greatly enriching China's relationships with them.

President Hu visited Poland, Hungary, Romania and Uzbekistan from June 8 to 18. He also attended the Fourth Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In the joint communiqu¨¦s signed during the visit, President Hu and his Polish, Hungarian and Romanian counterparts pointed out that the friendly bilateral cooperative partnership is conducive to improving the well being of the peoples, maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting common development.

In November, President Hu paid a state visit to Brazil, Argentine, Chile and Cuba,
and attended the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Chile, sweeping Latin America with a "China whirlwind." On the sidelines of the annual APEC summit, President Hu met with many world leaders including Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Chairman Wu Bangguo of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Premier Wen Jiabao and other Chinese leaders also frequently toured Asian, African and European countries. They have used these international occasions to elaborate on China's domestic and foreign policies, affirming that China pursues a peaceful approach to development, which is characterized by seeking development in a peaceful international environment and consolidating world peace through its development.

Premier Wen Jiabao made a jubilant journey to Southeast Asia in late November. During his some 50-hour stay in Laos, Premier Wen attended 27 occasions, where he proposed 21 initiatives in relation to China-Laos relations and regional cooperation in East Asia, and signed and issued 12 agreements and documents with other parties. These efforts deepened the strategic partnership between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and facilitated the cooperation between the ASEAN on the one hand and China, Japan and South Korea on the other. After that, the busy trip took him to the Netherlands for the Seventh China-EU Summit.

Earlier, during his visit to Viet Nam in October, Premier Wen attended the Fifth Summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting, where he met almost all European and Asian leaders present.

The Chinese leaders have expounded the Chinese Government's principled position on the Taiwan issue regarding overseas concerns. More and more countries have clearly reiterated their support to the one-China policy and opposition against any action of the Taiwan authorities aimed at changing Taiwan's status or leading to tension across the Taiwan Straits. At the meeting with his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush on November 20, President Hu said that it is in the core interest of China to safeguard the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He reaffirmed China's adherence to the basic policies of "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems." No one else is more eager to settle the Taiwan issue by peaceful means than the Chinese people are, he continued, but China will never tolerate "Taiwan independence" or any attempt to split Taiwan from China. "'Taiwan independence' will ruin peace across the Taiwan Straits and seriously damage peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region," asserted the top Chinese leader. There is mounting urgency and widening common ground for China and the United States to jointly curb the secessionist activities of the "Taiwan independence" forces.

While the Chinese leaders were branching out, leaders from many other countries and international organizations were invited to China in 2004 as well. Among the high-profile visitors were UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Jacques Chirac, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Italian President Carlo Ciampi, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, President of European Commission Romano Prodi and several Asian country leaders.