Remarks by President Xi Jinping at the China International Friendship Conference in Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries on May 15, 2014

Good morning! It gives me great pleasure to gather here together with our friends to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC).

First of all, on behalf of the Chinese Government and the Chinese people, and also myself, I'd like to extend warm congratulations on the opening of the conference! I would like to extend a sincere welcome to every friend present here today!

"What a joy it is to have friends coming from afar!" This is a quotation from Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who lived more than 2,000 years ago, demonstrating the Chinese' welcoming attitude towards friends. We invite friends from home and abroad to gather here, so that we can express gratitude for your unremitting efforts towards promoting a good relationship between China and other countries. This also is an opportunity for all of you present to look back at the years in which you've worked together and also the friendship developed in the process of long-term cooperation.

The Chinese nation has always stressed "repay as much as you can for even the smallest favor you have received." The Chinese people will never forget any of our friends. I'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our international brethren who cherish friendship and love peace, as well as friends around the world who have provided sympathy and support for China's revolution, construction and reform.

Friendship between peoples is a vital force for promoting world peace and development, as well as a precondition for realizing win-win cooperation. Only when people in all countries are united in friendship can the dream of peace and development be truly realized.

With the development of global multi-polarization, economic globalization and social information, the interests of all countries are intertwined together and it could be said we share a common destiny. In face of complicated and changeable international circumstances as well as severe and striking global issues, it's necessary for people in all countries to strengthen communication, cooperation and go through hard times hand in hand.

Today, China's development and moving forward is accompanied by reforms. We have set up two centennial goals to strive towards. One is to double the country's 2010 GDP and residents' per capita incomes by 2020, thus ensuring a relatively well-off society will then have taken shape in an all-round manner. The other is to develop China into a prosperous, democratic, civilized, harmonious and modernized socialist country by the middle of this century, realizing the dream of the great renewal of the Chinese nation. The Chinese dream demonstrates the Chinese people's pursuit of happiness and it is also connected to the hopes and dreams of people around the world. In the process of realizing its own dream, China will work together with other countries, to push forward the realization of their dreams too.

China's efforts to realize its dream will bring great opportunities to the rest of the world. The Communist Party of China convened the Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November 2013, which marked the prelude to an all-round and in-depth reform of the country. China is now engaged in the implementation of the blueprint for its reform. The new round of reform will greatly push forward China's development, which is undoubtedly good news for the world economy.

The ocean is vast for it refuses no rivers. China will continue opening up to the outside world, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, promote the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and champion the joint creation and sharing of development opportunities among nations. China is ready to conduct cultural exchanges with other countries with more open, inclusive and a broader vision. In the process of mutual learning, we will make a contribution to the overall progress of human civilization. China will enhance its cultural exchanges with other countries and attempt to play a part in the advancement of countries around the globe.

In recent years, commenting upon China's rapid development, some people outside China appear to be worried that China will take the road of "exercising hegemony after growing powerful" and some have even advocated the so-called "China Threat Theory." Most of those who hold this idea do so because of misunderstanding. Of course, a small number of people also think this way owing to a deep-rooted bias.

The Chinese nation is a peace-loving one. The Chinese culture values harmony and this "culture of harmony" enjoys a long history in our country. It encompasses a world view based on a balance between nature and human beings, an international outlook that contends all countries should live in peace and a vision of a harmonious society where differences are tolerated, in addition to the moral concept of kindness. In the 5,000-year development of its civilization, the nation has pursued and promoted its unswerving beliefs in peace, amity and harmony. The concepts of harmony, friendliness and "not doing unto others what you don't want others to do unto you" have been handed down for generations in China, deeply rooted in the psyche of the Chinese people and reflected in their behaviors.

The Chinese forefathers knew well that "a war-addicted country, no matter how powerful it is, is doomed to perdition." Since ancient times, the Chinese have initiated exchanges of both a business and a personal nature with other countries, but never in the interests of invasion or territorial expansion. The Chinese nation is committed to patriotism and safeguarding its own backyard, rather than colonialism-driven expansion of territory. More than 2,100 years ago, the Chinese opened the Silk Road, promoting civilized communication between the West and the East on the basis of an equal footing. Mutually beneficial cooperation benefited peoples all along the road. More than 600 years ago, Zheng He led the biggest fleets in the world at that time and sailed to the Pacific and the West Indian Ocean seven times, visiting more than 30 countries and regions in the process. The Chinese fleets did not attempt to occupy one square inch of land, but instead sowed seeds of peace and friendship and also, in their wake, left behind them tales of the Chinese people's friendly communication with the peoples of these nations, stories which have resounded for generations. The modern history of China has witnessed Chinese people being subject to humiliation and trampling at the hands of aggressors, but at the same time, it was also a process of the Chinese people resisting invasion and realizing their national independence. Owing to the great miseries and hardship they have endured, the Chinese cherish peace very much, and will never impose the misery it once suffered upon other nations.

There exists no gene for invasion and seeking global hegemony in Chinese people's blood. The Chinese people won't follow the logic that "might is right," and are willing to live in amity with people around the world, to seek harmonious development, and to jointly strive for, protect and share peace.

History tells us that wars are akin to waking nightmares, inflicting huge miseries and disasters upon people, so we must remain highly alert to fresh outbreaks of conflict. Ever present in the background, peace is like air and sunshine, you seldom feel you are tangibly benefiting from it. Once you are denied access to it, however, you realize you are not able to survive without it. Therefore, we must carefully cherish peace. In today's world, there is still potential for war, and people in many countries and regions are struggling in conflicts, while a large number of women and children's lives are being threatened. All kind-hearted and peace-loving people should take action to jointly prevent wars and safeguard peace.

China will stick to the road of peaceful development and will also work to inspire all countries to press ahead with pursuing such a route. China will actively take on more international responsibilities and work with all other countries to safeguard human conscience and international justice. It will uphold justice in global and regional affairs and play a more active role in the solution of "hot-button" issues. Safeguarding world peace will help with China's own development, while China's development will in turn help to promote world peace. China will continue to solve conflicts and differences through negotiations undertaken on an equal footing, and with the greatest sincerity and patience.

The year 2015 will mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the world anti-fascist effort. For years, thanks to joint efforts by peace-loving people all over the world, the fruits of the victory of World War II have been reaped and the international order that took shape in the aftermath of the War has been maintained. Peace and development has become the theme of the era, which provides the necessary environment for the advancement of all countries. The Chinese people will commemorate this victory together with the rest of the world and also cherish and value this hard-won peace for many years to come.

A good relationship between two countries is based on the affection existent between their individual civilians. Not long ago, I paid a visit to the headquarters of UNESCO. The stonewall at the entrance to the headquarters carries the inscription of one single message in several languages: "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defense of peace must be constructed." This sentence imparts a salient truth: Whether it is for safeguarding world peace, or for the common development of all countries, the key is to enlighten peoples across the globe as to the significance of peace and development to the entire human race. Therefore, we must make great efforts to bolster exchanges among civilizations. Non-governmental diplomacy is the strongest driving force for pushing forward exchanges and encouraging mutual learning between civilizations

Civilizations have become richer thanks to communications with one another and the mutual learning gleaned from such experiences. Learning and exchanges among civilizations is an important impetus accelerating the progress of human civilization as well as world peace and development. We should boost our efforts in learning about one another, and engender mutual understanding, support and assistance, through promoting exchanges and mutual learning activities among civilizations that transcend borders, geographical distance and cultural differences. In doing this, we will uphold the idea of peace in the mind of people around the world, and forge a powerful opposing force to prevent war and promote common development.

For so many years, CPAFFC, in adherence to China's independent foreign policy of peace, through making friends around the world, has played an irreplaceable role in promoting China's international cooperation and relations with other countries. Its 60-year development has showcased the power of people-to-people diplomacy in promoting world peace and development, and the association's important role in China's overall diplomacy.

China has made remarkable strides in its development, but it remains the largest developing country in the world. It is still faced with many problems in the process of development, and it will need to learn from the achievements of the civilizations of other countries in order to fully reach its potential.

Non-governmental diplomacy needs innovation. We need to make more friends through multi-field, multi-channel and multi-layered foreign exchanges. The distance between people will be removed through the exercise of sincerity, friendliness and frankness. People will thus become more amicable and supportive towards one another. Particularly, it's important to conduct exchanges among the young in our society, so that the cause of people-to-people friendly exchanges will be handed down through generations. It's my hope that CPAFFC will continue to make persistent efforts to further boost people-to-people diplomacy, the building of international ties between cities and public diplomacy, and make larger contributions towards the promotion of China's friendship with other countries at the civilian level.

We should explore more channels for exchanges and build more platforms for cooperation so as to steer organizations and outstanding talents at home and abroad towards participating in a number of ways in China's endeavors to modernize it.

We should further strengthen efforts of establishing more pairing programs between Chinese and foreign cities and promote exchanges between localities, so as to encourage the sharing of resources, to complement each other's respective individual advantages and engage in win-win cooperation. We should place emphasis on public diplomacy and actively participate in international non-governmental activities, so as to ensure that the Chinese voice is heard and our stories are well told and to present to the world a real, multifaceted portrait of our nation.

Everything is possible as long as we have dreams, pursuits and the dedication to back them up with great efforts. The Chinese people have dreams, and people around the world have their dreams. Together, these dreams will bring boundless vitality and great prosperity to the world. Let's join hands to work together for our dreams, and to advance the lofty cause of peace and the development of humanity.

Thank you!