Tag: InternationalNews

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks as he inspected Xiong’an in north China’s Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting its development.

Xi was accompanied by Premier Li Qiang, Cai Qi, who is director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. Li, Cai and Ding are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

In April 2017, China announced the plan to set up the Xiong’an New Area, which is situated approximately 100 km southwest of Beijing. The goal, according to authorities, is to develop it to a level comparable to that of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area.

Xi has been personally involved in making decisions and plans to develop Xiong’an. In the past six years, he paid two visits to the area.

During Wednesday’s inspection, Xi said Xiong’an has entered a phase of advancing large-scale construction and at the same time taking on functions nonessential to Beijing’s role as China’s capital.

On Wednesday morning, Xi took a high-speed train to Xiong’an where he first inspected the Xiong’an Railway Station, a key infrastructure project of the area with great symbolic importance.

The railway station is designed as a transportation hub, Xi said, emphasizing the need to improve the connectivity of the station with various places.

He stressed developing the zone of Zan’gang, where the railway station is located, into a high-end and high-tech industry cluster area.

In addition to the railway station, Xi also visited a residential community that is home to 5,000-plus relocated residents. There, Xi chatted with community workers and residents, expressing his satisfaction with the good living conditions of the residents.

He also highlighted the importance of ensuring the relocated residents live well and have satisfactory jobs.

Promoting equal access to basic public services is crucial in building a people’s city that is both livable and conducive to doing business, Xi noted.

He visited the home of resident Li Jinghe. Xi said building the Xiong’an New Area is a major strategic decision made by the Party’s central authorities and the relocated residents had made their contributions.

{{Miraculous transformation}}

The development of the Xiong’an New Area is a national project of millennial significance and should be pushed forward with concrete actions and sustained efforts, Xi said.

At the construction sites of an inter-city railway station and an international trade center, he learned about the development of key infrastructure projects and major projects launched for the purpose of relieving Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the capital.

Xi said more efforts should be made to develop a multifaceted and integrated transportation network and make full use of underground space so as to build a “city of the future” free of urban maladies.

At a convention center, Xi was briefed about the progress of the overall design and development of the Xiong’an New Area and efforts to restore and conserve the eco-environment of Baiyangdian Lake.

At the convention center, Xi convened a meeting on advancing the high-quality construction of the Xiong’an New Area to a high standard.

Xi remarked that the transformation of the Xiong’an New Area from ground zero to an emerging sophisticated modern city within a mere six years is miraculous.

{{Mapping out future of Xiong’An }}

It has been demonstrated that the major decision of the CPC Central Committee to construct the Xiong’an New Area is entirely correct, Xi said.

He stressed efforts to fully, faithfully and comprehensively carry out the CPC Central Committee’s strategic plans for building the Xiong’an New Area and to make sure the area is built and developed in the right direction.

Xi called for the solid implementation of tasks related to relieving Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the national capital.

He urged the planning of another round of transfers of the headquarters of state-owned enterprises directly under the central government in Beijing as well as their subsidiary companies.

The planning of the transfer of financial institutions, research institutes and public institutions should also begin, Xi said.

The integration of market mechanisms and the government’s guidance should be strengthened to add to the internal impetus for the transfer, Xi said.

He noted that pioneering policies and measures in reform and opening up, as well as forward-looking trial and demonstration innovation projects shall be carried out in the Xiong’an New Area, so that it can become a fertile ground for innovation and business ventures.

Xi underlined efforts to build a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized and widely apply advanced science and technology, in a bid to make smart, green and innovative development the trademark of the Xiong’an New Area.

He stressed the need to give the people a more concrete sense of fulfillment and happiness through the development of the new area. He also called for enhancing policies that guide employment and entrepreneurship, as well as bolstering employment training programs.

He encouraged the area to blaze a new path in narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas, advancing integrated urban-rural development, and promoting common prosperity for all.

Other senior leaders also spoke at the meeting.

Li Qiang urged the Xiong’an New Area to accelerate efforts to help relieve Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as China’s capital, steadily advance infrastructure construction and modernize the industrial system.

Ding Xuexiang said scientific and technological innovation should be the foundation of the high-quality development of the Xiong’an New Area, calling for carrying out high-standard scientific and technological innovation.

This was not the first time that Ruslan’s name had appeared alongside that of the president.

During a speech at Kazakhstan’s Nazarbayev University in 2013, Xi shared Ruslan’s story of donating rare RH-negative blood, also known as “panda blood,” to Chinese patients.

At the time, Ruslan was a student at Hainan University, and he never imagined that his rare blood type would become a symbol of friendship between China and his home country.

Having developed a strong interest in China and its culture through watching Chinese TV series and movies since childhood, Ruslan traveled to China for the first time in 2008. Hainan was one of his stops.

The 16-year-old fell in love with the island during his very first visit. The warm, humid climate and the wondrous sea are quite different from anything in the inland town where he grew up. One year later, Ruslan started learning Chinese at Hainan University.

While volunteering as a blood donor with his Chinese friends in 2009, Ruslan discovered that he had RH-negative blood, which is only found in 0.1 to 0.3 percent of the Chinese population and is in high demand to save lives.

For the next 13 years, he donated blood twice a year, contributing over 6,000 milliliters in total. This is about 1.5 times the amount of blood found in an adult.

Ruslan even left his contact details with blood banks for emergency situations. In 2017, a patient in Langfang, north China’s Hebei Province, urgently needed a transfusion of “panda blood” after a caesarean section. Ruslan responded promptly to the call for help, traveling to Langfang and donating 400 milliliters of blood.

Even after a decade, Ruslan still feels deeply moved when he recalls the moment he learned that his simple act of kindness had been mentioned by the Chinese president when addressing his fellow countrymen.

“It was such a tremendous encouragement for me. I have made a personal commitment to study and work hard, making my share of contributions to the Kazakhstan-China friendship. I won’t let the president down,” Ruslan said.

According to Xi, Ruslan’s story is just one episode in the epic of friendly exchanges between the people of China and Kazakhstan.

Ismail Daurov, a Kazakh student, was also lauded by Xi for his volunteer work during the COVID-19 response in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. Meanwhile, Kazakh ophthalmologist Saulebek Kabilbekov earned Xi’s admiration for treating Chinese patients in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang for over two decades.

Since establishing bilateral diplomatic ties 31 years ago, the China-Kazakhstan friendship has put down deep roots, bringing the two peoples closer through expanding exchanges.

At present, there are five Confucius Institutes established in Kazakhstan, providing Chinese language training for over 3,000 people each year, while four universities in China have opened institutes on Kazakhstan studies and two have added the Kazakh language as a major.

By the end of 2021, the cumulative number of international students studying in each other’s countries had reached 15,100.

The China-Central Asia Summit is set to take place in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, on May 18 and 19, and will be chaired by Xi. The summit holds the promise of enhancing mutual understanding and fostering future exchanges between the Chinese and Central Asian peoples through tangible initiatives.

After completing graduate and postgraduate programs in China, Ruslan now works for the Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development as a global media officer. He is responsible for promoting Hainan’s Free Trade Port to a wider audience.

“Thanks to the increasing openness of China and the growing bond between our two nations, individuals like me have the chance to seize the opportunities presented by bilateral people-to-people exchanges and lead fulfilling lives,” Ruslan said.

On a quarterly basis, the economy increased 2.2 percent in the first three months.

“China’s national economy made a good start this year, and market expectation saw significant improvement,” said NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui at a press conference.

China’s GDP grew 3 percent year on year in 2022, and 2.9 percent year on year in the fourth quarter of last year.

{BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from March 20 to 22 at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.}

Over the years, the sustained, sound and steady development of China-Russia relations have brought benefits to both sides and injected stability into a turbulent world. And their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era is mature, resilient and rock-solid.

Such a mature and tenacious relationship cannot do without top-level design or strategic guidance. Exchanges between the two heads of state are the compass and anchor of China-Russia relations.

Guided by the two leaders, China and Russia have blazed a path of major-country relations featuring strategic trust and good neighborliness, setting a new paradigm for international relations.

Through mutual visits, bilateral meetings on important multilateral occasions, video conferences, phone talks and exchange of messages, the two heads of state have over the past years conducted frequent interactions and exchanged governance experience in an in-depth and candid manner. They have also made plans to advance bilateral relations and practical cooperation in various fields, such as economy, trade, investment, energy, science and technology, people-to-people and cultural exchanges as well as local-level interactions.

Amity between the people holds the key to good relations between states. Since the two sides established diplomatic ties 74 years ago, their people have worked together to create a better future and share the dividends of development. A synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union is a good case in point.

The Heihe-Blagoveshchensk cross-border highway bridge, the Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye cross-border railway bridge and other boundary river bridges have been opened to traffic one after another, and cross-border logistics and transport channels have been further expanded.

In 2022, bilateral trade reached a record high. China has remained Russia’s largest trading partner for 13 years in a row. And in the first two months of this year, bilateral trade sustained strong growth momentum, reaching 33.69 billion dollars, up 25.9 percent year on year.

Meanwhile, the two countries have witnessed deepening people-to-people exchanges and amity, with increasingly solid public support. Events such as the year of tourism, the year of the media exchange, and the year of sports exchange, have brought the people of the two countries even closer.

In the face of rapid changes rarely seen in a century, major countries are trying to figure out what they want with each other — to build exclusive blocs, or to foster a friendship that is open and sincere.

China and Russia have provided their answer. Their relationship is built on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries. It tolerates no third party interference or coercion.

Such a choice serves the respective and common interests of the two countries and answers the common call for peace and development of our times.

In an interview with Chinese media in February, Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov said, “I believe that anyone who has bad intentions and may try to break our friendship will not succeed.”

This resilient relationship has brought more stability, certainty and positive energy to a world undergoing transformations amid chaos and disorder.

As some countries are trying to rekindle the Cold War mentality and create the pseudo-proposition of “democracy vs autocracy,” China and Russia, together with other countries, staunchly oppose hegemony and a new Cold War, and are firmly committed to promoting a multi-polar world and more democratic international relations.

China and Russia, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, have maintained close coordination and cooperation on international affairs, firmly safeguard the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, and upheld true multilateralism.

The two countries have increased mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests. They have carried out coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and the BRICS, and safeguarded regional security interests as well as the common interests of developing countries and emerging markets.

Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era will surely advance at a higher level.

A mature and resilient China-Russia relationship will promote the solidarity, development and prosperity of the Eurasian continent, pool forces to uphold the norms governing international relations, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, and steer the world in the right direction.

The visit, scheduled for March 20-22, is set to map out the blueprint for the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. It will also push ahead with the practical cooperation between the two countries, and inject strong impetus into the endeavor to maintain peace and prosperity so as to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

{{MODEL FOR MAJOR-COUNTRY RELATIONSHIP}}

Earlier this month, footage of Chinese panda named Ruyi went viral online, which showed him playing and gorging himself on fresh bamboos in Moscow Zoo. Ruyi and his buddy Dingding officially moved to their new home in Moscow during a grand ceremony attended by Xi and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in June 2019.

During that visit, the two leaders signed and issued a joint statement raising bilateral ties to the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, opening up a new chapter in China-Russia relations featuring higher level and greater development.

Now Xi is about to set foot on Russian soil for the ninth time as Chinese president. Over the past decade, the two heads of state have met with each other on some 40 occasions. Their frequent and high-quality exchanges have always been guiding the development of China-Russia relations.

The past years have witnessed the steady growth of China-Russia ties with the inking of a host of important documents such as a joint statement on win-win cooperation and deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in 2013, the China-Russia Joint Statement on a New Stage of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2014, a 2015 joint statement on deepening comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and advocating win-win cooperation, and the China-Russia Joint Statement on Further Deepening the China-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2017.

In 2021, the two presidents commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between China and Russia and made the decision to extend the pact.

As the world is facing profound changes unseen in a century and the unprecedented pandemic, Xi and Putin have maintained close contact through various means, including a meeting during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, traditional year-end online talks, calls and messages, and participating via video link in the ground-breaking ceremony of a bilateral nuclear energy cooperation project and other major events held in their respective countries.

Under the joint leadership of the two heads of state, the bilateral partnership has grown more mature and resilient.

As an ancient Chinese saying goes, “True partnership defies geographical distance.” China and Russia have blazed a trail in the growth of major-country relations featuring strategic trust and good neighborliness, setting a good example for a new type of international relations.

Meanwhile, China-Russia ties are based on non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of any third party. The relations pose no threat to any other country in the world, nor are they subject to interference or provocation by any third party.

Russia and China have set an example for relationship between major countries, said Vasily Kashin, director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies of Russia’s National Research University-Higher School of Economics.

“Russia-China relations, which are efficient, responsible and future-oriented, have played a stabilizing role in international affairs,” he said.

NEW CHAPTER IN COOPERATION, FRIENDSHIP

In June last year, the Heihe-Blagoveshchensk cross-border highway bridge over Heilongjiang River opened to traffic. The new channel, a milestone in infrastructure connectivity, has connected China’s northeast and Russia’s far east amid booming economic and trade cooperation between the neighbors.

Two-way trade has been growing over the past decade, surging from less than 90 billion U.S. dollars in 2013 to more than 190 billion dollars last year and approaching the target of 200 billion dollars set by the two heads of state.

Exports of automobiles and spare parts from China to Russia have increased rapidly in recent years. By the end of last year, the number of automobile dealers of Chinese brands in Russia had climbed to 1,041.

Meanwhile, chocolates, honey, flour, and alcohol — quality Russian products as such have become more widely available for Chinese customers. The Russian Export Center, the country’s state institution for export support, has announced an increase in the number of online shops in a bid to let Chinese customers have easier access to quality Russian products.

While the all-round bilateral practical cooperation is flourishing, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries are also thriving, which have built up popular support for China-Russia friendship.

Currently, the two peoples are marking the 2022-2023 years of sports exchanges after the youth friendly exchange year, media exchange year, subnational cooperation and exchange year, and scientific and technological innovation year.

Russia and China have carried out cooperation actively under the guidance of the two heads of state in the past 10 years, said Yuri Tavrovsky, a professor of the Russian University of Peoples’ Friendship, who expects that the leaders of the two countries will open up more new areas for bilateral cooperation in the future.

{{FOR EQUITY AND JUSTICE}}

Back in 2013, Xi chose Russia as the destination of his first overseas trip after becoming president. In his speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations during that visit, Xi called for building a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at the core, stressing the mankind “has increasingly emerged as a community of shared future in which everyone has in himself a little bit of others.”

The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind not only reflects the common voice of all peoples and gathers the broad consensus of the international community, but also leads the trend of the times and the way forward for mankind. Since it was proposed, the notion has been enshrined repeatedly in important documents of the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and other multilateral mechanisms.

“Ten years have passed, and we understand that the notion’s relevance has not decreased but is becoming more and more important,” said Anatoly Torkunov, president of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, who applauded Xi’s speech at the scene in 2013.

The world has now come to another historical crossroads.

To revert to a Cold War mentality, provoke division and antagonism, and stoke confrontation between blocs, or to act out of the common good of humanity to promote equality, mutual respect and win-win cooperation — the tug of war between these two trends is testing the wisdom of statesmen in major countries as well as the reason of the entire humanity. Facts have repeatedly proven that containment and suppression is unpopular, and sanction and interference is doomed to fail.

At the critical moment in human history, Xi has made the important judgment that “the world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century,” while Putin has also made similar assessment at the Valdai Discussion Club.

The more turbulent the world is, the more steadily China-Russia relations should forge ahead.

As the founding countries of the SCO, both sides have pushed forward multilateral cooperation, and extended the organization’s focus from security to politics, economy as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges. They have made joint contributions to a better world order, global and regional development, as well as the security of the SCO members.

Under the BRICS mechanism, Beijing and Moscow, together with other members, have played an active role in advancing the reforms of the global economic governance, and jointly created a stronger voice on major international and regional issues. Those efforts have enabled the emerging economies and developing nations to have more of a say on the world stage. And the developing economies, represented by the BRICS countries, have become the new engine of economic globalization in today’s world afflicted by rising populism and protectionism.

China and Russia, as permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as important parties of the Group of 20, APEC and other key global and regional groups, have also worked closely on issues related to the situation in the Korean Peninsula, Afghanistan, as well as the Iran nuclear issue. They have played a leading role in promoting multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations and safeguarding global strategic balance and stability.

Ten years on, China will continue to work together with Russia to follow the trend of the times, drive global unity and cooperation and contain division and confrontation so as to make new and greater contribution to peace and development of humanity.

Following is an English version of the full text of the article:

{{Forging Ahead to Open a New Chapter of China-Russia Friendship, Cooperation and Common Development}}

{ {{Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China}} }

At the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, I will soon pay a state visit to the Russian Federation. Russia was the first country I visited after I was elected President 10 years ago. Over the past decade, I have made eight visits to Russia. I came each time with high expectations and returned with fruitful results, opening a new chapter for China-Russia relations together with President Putin.

China and Russia are each other’s biggest neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination. We are both major countries in the world and permanent members of the UN Security Council. Both countries uphold an independent foreign policy and see our relationship as a high priority in our diplomacy.

There is a clear historical logic and strong internal driving force for the growth of China-Russia relations. Over the past 10 years, we have come a long way in our wide-ranging cooperation and made significant strides into the new era.

— High-level interactions have played a key strategic role in leading China-Russia relations. We have established a whole set of mechanisms for high-level interactions and multi-faceted cooperation which provide important systemic and institutional safeguards for the growth of the bilateral ties. Over the years, I have maintained a close working relationship with President Putin. We have met 40 times on bilateral and international occasions. Together we have drawn the blueprint for the bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields, and have had timely communication on major international and regional issues of mutual interest, providing firm stewardship for the sustained, sound and stable growth of China-Russia relations.

— Our two sides have cemented political mutual trust and fostered a new model of major-country relations. Guided by a vision of lasting friendship and win-win cooperation, China and Russia are committed to no-alliance, no-confrontation and not targeting any third party in developing our ties. We firmly support each other in following a development path suited to our respective national realities and support each other’s development and rejuvenation. The bilateral relationship has grown more mature and resilient. It is brimming with new dynamism and vitality, setting a fine example for developing a new model of major-country relations featuring mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

— Our two sides have put in place an all-round and multi-tiered cooperation framework. Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, China-Russia trade exceeded 190 billion U.S. dollars last year, up by 116 percent from ten years ago. China has been Russia’s largest trading partner for 13 years running. We have seen steady increase in our two-way investment. Our cooperation on major projects in such fields as energy, aviation, space and connectivity is moving forward steadily. Our collaboration in scientific and technological innovation, cross-border e-commerce and other emerging areas is showing a strong momentum. Our cooperation at the sub-national level is also booming. All this has brought tangible benefits to both the Chinese and the Russian peoples and provided unceasing driving force for our respective development and rejuvenation.

— Our two sides have acted on the vision of lasting friendship and steadily strengthened our traditional friendship. On the occasion of commemorating the 20th anniversary of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, President Putin and I announced the extension of the Treaty and added new dimensions to it. Our two sides have held eight “theme years” at the national level and continued to write new chapters for China-Russia friendship and cooperation. Our two peoples have stood by and rooted for each other in the fight against COVID, which once again proves that “a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

— Our two sides have had close coordination on the international stage and fulfilled our responsibilities as major countries. China and Russia are firmly committed to safeguarding the UN-centered international system, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. We have stayed in close communication and coordination in the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, the G20 and other multilateral mechanisms, and worked together for a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations. We have been active in practicing true multilateralism, promoting the common values of humanity, and championing the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind.

Looking back on the extraordinary journey of China-Russia relations over the past 70 years and more, we feel strongly that our relationship has not reached easily where it is today, and that our friendship is growing steadily and must be cherished by us all. China and Russia have found a right path of state-to-state interactions. This is essential for the relationship to stand the test of changing international circumstances, a lesson borne out by both history and reality.

My upcoming visit to Russia will be a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace. I look forward to working with President Putin to jointly adopt a new vision, a new blueprint and new measures for the growth of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the years to come.

To this end, our two sides need to enhance coordination and planning. As we focus on our respective cause of development and rejuvenation, we should get creative in our thinking, create new opportunities and inject new impetus. It is important that we increase mutual trust and bring out the potential of bilateral cooperation to keep China-Russia relations at a high level.

Our two sides need to raise both the quality and quantity of investment and economic cooperation and step up policy coordination to create favorable conditions for the high-quality development of our investment cooperation. We need to boost two-way trade, foster more convergence of interests and areas of cooperation, and promote the complementary and synchronized development of traditional trade and emerging areas of cooperation. We need to make sustained efforts to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, so as to provide more institutional support for bilateral and regional cooperation.

Our two sides need to step up people-to-people and cultural exchanges and ensure the success of China-Russia Years of Sports Exchange. We should make good use of the sub-national cooperation mechanisms to facilitate more interactions between sister provinces/states and cities. We should encourage personnel exchanges and push for the resumption of tourism cooperation. We should make available better summer camps, jointly-run schools and other programs to steadily enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples, especially between the youth.

The world today is going through profound changes unseen in a century. The historical trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation is unstoppable. The prevailing trends of world multi-polarity, economic globalization and greater democracy in international relations are irreversible. On the other hand, our world is confronted with complex and intertwined traditional and non-traditional security challenges, damaging acts of hegemony, domination and bullying, and long and tortuous global economic recovery. Countries around the world are deeply concerned and eager to find a cooperative way out of the crisis.

In March 2013, when speaking at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, I observed that countries are linked with and dependent on one another at a level never seen before, and that mankind, living in the same global village, have increasingly emerged as a community with a shared future in which everyone’s interests are closely entwined. Since then, I have proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative on different occasions. All these have enriched our vision for a community with a shared future for mankind and provided practical pathways toward it. They are part of China’s response to the changes of the world, of our times, and of the historic trajectory.

Through these ten years, the common values of humanity — peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom — have taken deeper roots in the heart of the people. An open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world with lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity has become the shared aspiration of more and more countries. The international community has recognized that no country is superior to others, no model of governance is universal, and no single country should dictate the international order. The common interest of all humankind is in a world that is united and peaceful, rather than divided and volatile.

Since last year, there has been an all-round escalation of the Ukraine crisis. China has all along upheld an objective and impartial position based on the merits of the issue, and actively promoted peace talks. I have put forth several proposals, i.e., observing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respect of the legitimate security concerns of all countries, supporting all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, and ensuring the stability of global industrial and supply chains. They have become China’s fundamental principles for addressing the Ukraine crisis.

Not long ago, we released China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, which takes into account the legitimate concerns of all parties and reflects the broadest common understanding of the international community on the crisis. It has been constructive in mitigating the spillovers of the crisis and facilitating its political settlement. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. We believe that as long as all parties embrace the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and pursue equal-footed, rational and results-oriented dialogue and consultation, they will find a reasonable way to resolve the crisis as well as a broad path toward a world of lasting peace and common security.

To run the world’s affairs well, one must first and foremost run its own affairs well. The Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, are striving in unity to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through the Chinese path to modernization. Chinese modernization is characterized by the following features: it is the modernization of a huge population, the modernization of common prosperity for all, the modernization of material and cultural-ethical advancement, the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, and the modernization of peaceful development. These distinctive Chinese features are the crystallization of our practices and explorations over the years, and reflect our profound understanding of international experience. Going forward, we will steadfastly advance the cause of Chinese modernization, strive to realize high-quality development, and expand high-standard opening up. I believe that this will bring new development opportunities to Russia and all countries in the world.

Just as every new year starts with spring, every success starts with actions. We have every reason to expect that China and Russia, as fellow travelers on the journey of development and rejuvenation, will make new and greater contributions to human advancement.

With the foundation of “Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)” as a tool for comprehensive global peacebuilding cooperation, 7,000 people in the fields of politics, legal profession and religion, education, media, women and youth, will join the event where the participants share the cases of conflict prevention, mediation, and resolution to institutionalize peace as a universal culture and norm.

“This declaration, comprised of 10 articles and 38 clauses, aims to restore the spirit that served as the basis for the establishment of the United Nations and to achieve sustainable peace by promoting the universal values of the global community. The DPCW contains the message of no war, peace between nations and societies, friendly relations, prosperity, happiness, this is a simple message and everyone can relate to this message,” said Prof. Dr. Md Nazrul Islam, Chairman of International Law, University of Dhaka who drafted the DPCW, in the event on March 14th.

In his progress report presentation, Pravin Parekh, President of the Confederation of Indian Bar, presented major activities of overcoming disconnection and distrust and the progress for realizing the introduction of the DPCW to the United Nations. “HWPL has been strengthening trust and communication with youth, women, and civil society around the world in solidarity through activities such as Legislate Peace Project, WARP Office, and Peace Education,” he said.

Emphasizing the need for dialogues among religious leaders to facilitate tolerance and understanding, Ven. Myeong An, Vice President of Yeorae Order of Korean Buddhism, said, “Currently, many conflicts, persecutions, and conflicts among religions are taking place in the global village. It’s because of intolerance and a lack of communication. However, what if many religious people come to discuss with scriptures? It will only be a matter of time before a world of peace comes.”

In the event, action plans to advocate peace in Ukraine were prepared. Participants from over 100 countries write “Peace Letters” to denounce Russian invasion of Ukraine as a violation of international law and demand Russian President Putin a total withdrawal from the Ukraine territory.

“Future generations of Russians will remember you and this war as an indelible and shameful history, and you will be left in history as the one responsible for sacrificing countless innocent lives,” the letter stated. These letters will be collected and sent to Ukraine, where a peace monument will be erected.

During the speech, Chairman Lee Man-hee of HWPL emphasized, “Peace cannot be achieved alone. If everyone can live together as one, there will be no wars or conflicts. As the saying goes, love your neighbor as yourself, war will disappear only when there is love for each other. Current international law cannot prevent war.

Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations, waged a war. The DPCW was introduced to renew the inoperative international law to eliminate war. Now is the time to achieve peace. Just as people learn when they have to create (something), peace must be taught at home and at school to create peace. If people’s hearts change, a better world will be created. Let everyone in the global village become messengers of peace.”

He was also elected chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by a unanimous vote.

A total of 2,952 deputies were present at the third plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) on Friday morning, to exercise their constitutional right to elect China’s state leadership.

Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Han Zheng, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi attended the meeting.

The elections began at 9:27 a.m., after lawmakers adopted a method on election and appointment for the first session of the 14th NPC.

The voting was anonymous.

Thunderous applause broke out across the Great Hall of the People when the results of the elections were pronounced.

Xi, donning a dark suit with a burgundy tie, rose from his seat and bowed to the lawmakers.

Born in 1953, Xi joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in January 1974, and became the Party branch secretary of the Liangjiahe Brigade in rural Shaanxi Province, later the same year.

He then embarked on a journey across China that saw him work in different provinces and municipalities and rise from the grassroots level to the helm of the Party and the state.

Xi was first elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and named chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission in November 2012. He was elected Chinese president and CMC chairman of the PRC in March 2013.

“Over the past 10 years, we have overcome one obstacle after another, and created miracle upon miracle. Most importantly, the people are happier, feel safer than ever, and have a stronger sense of fulfillment under his leadership,” said NPC deputy Chen Zhen, head of the Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The CPC has established Xi Jinping’s core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and established the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The decision was made at the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee in 2021.

Experts believe the decision has been further consolidated by the elections of Xi to be Chinese president and chairman of the PRC CMC.

The solemnity of Friday’s assembly was underscored by a ceremony of Xi and other newly elected state leaders pledging allegiance to China’s Constitution.

After a chorus of the national anthem was sung by all present, Xi placed his left hand on a copy of the Constitution and held up his right fist.

“I pledge my allegiance to the Constitution of the PRC to safeguard the Constitution’s authority, and fulfill my legal obligations, be loyal to the country and the people, be committed and honest in my duty, accept the people’s supervision, and work for a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful,” Xi said.

Under Xi’s leadership, the world’s second-largest economy is marching on a model of modernization that has not been seen before.

In the past decade, China’s GDP has grown to 121 trillion yuan (about 17.37 trillion U.S. dollars) from 53.9 trillion yuan in 2012.

The Chinese economy has come to account for over 18 percent of the world economy over the past 10 years, and its contribution to the world’s economic growth has averaged over 30 percent.

The country has eradicated absolute poverty and built the largest education, social security, and healthcare systems in the world.

The average life expectancy of the Chinese has increased from 74.8 to 78.2 years over the past decade, and there have been historic, transformative, and comprehensive changes in ecological and environmental protection.

China has also joined the ranks of the world’s innovators, and achieved an overwhelming victory and fully consolidated the gains in the fight against corruption.

The country’s military has been through an all-around revolutionary restructuring, becoming a much more modern and capable fighting force.

China has also created a miracle in human history, in which a highly populous nation has successfully pulled through a pandemic while maintaining social stability and steady economic development.

Observers believe Friday’s elections will inject greater certainty into China’s modernization drive.

“The elections will ensure that there is a steady hand at the helm, which will serve China well, particularly in this new era of new challenges,” said Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor of politics at East China Normal University.

“President Xi has already led us out of poverty,” said Peng Xiaying, a villager in Shenshan Village of Jiangxi Province. “Now we put our faith in him to bring an even better life for all.”

Also on Friday, lawmakers elected Zhao Leji as chairman of the 14th NPC Standing Committee and Han Zheng as vice president of China.

A total of 14 vice chairpersons and a secretary-general were also elected for the 14th NPC Standing Committee.

They all pledged allegiance to the Constitution.

Before the elections, lawmakers also approved a plan on reforming State Council institutions.

The consensus was reached during a meeting in Moscow between Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, held talks with Patrushev as they respectively lead the mechanism of the Strategic Security Consultation between China and Russia.

The two sides discussed the current international strategic situation and expressed their willingness to jointly practice true multilateralism, oppose all forms of unilateral bullying, and promote democracy in international relations and a multi-polar world.

Both parties believe that peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region should be firmly maintained and that the introduction of Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and ideological conflict should be opposed.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukrainian issue among others.