China's Peaceful Development Road：Cultural Foundation，Strategic Orientation and Practical Significance

By Dr. Xiao Xi， Professor of Jilin University

China's Peaceful Development Road：Cultural Foundation，Strategic Orientation and Practical Significance

By Dr. Xiao Xi， Professor of Jilin University

Unswervingly pursuing the peaceful development road is the strategic choice made by the Government and people of China based on a development trend of the times and the national fundamental interests. As the traditional cultural origin of China's peaceful development road，"harmony" is one constant principle permeated through China's culture， and is true life for China humanistic spirit. "valuable harmony"， "harmony without blind following"， "harmony between heaven and man" are three important aspects of "harmony" -- thinking ideological connotation of China's culture. The practice has proved that as the national long-term development strategy， the peaceful development road is the development road adapted to China's conditions and era features， and has made outstanding contributions to peace and development of China and the world at large.

Unswervingly pursuing the peaceful development road is the strategic choice made by the Government and people of China based on a development trend of the times and the national fundamental interests. Historical process indicates that the important conditions （if not the foremost conditions） for the success of China depends on whether the Chinese judgment on the world's political trend is reasonable or not， including a comprehensive understanding and comprehension of the development direction of world main political trends， and their rational impacts and interaction at every stage. After the reform and opening up， on the basis of summing up the experiences and lessons of the past 30 years，after a long observation and thinking， Chinese leaders put forward two main themes of "peace" and "development"， i.e.， in the course of mutual interaction and collision of complex world political waves， "peace" and "development" have gradually become the main pursuit of large number of countries and peoples in the world and the main direction of the world's political development.1Since the 16th CPC National Congress， the collective central leadership commands the overall domestic and international situations， and determine the construction of a harmonious world， adherence to the peaceful development road and pursuit of the open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation -- the three pillars of China's diplomatic strategy in the new period.2The practice has proved that， as the national long-term development strategy， the peaceful development road is the development road adapted to China's conditions and era features， and has made outstanding contributions to peace and development of China and the world at large. The Chinese people advocate "doing nothing to others what you do not have them do to you"， the Chinese have neither hegemony nor militaristic genes in them， and China does not agree with "hegemony theory". China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development， which is in the interests of China， Asia， and the world，and any force cannot shake the Chinese faith in peaceful development.3

I. Pioneering China's Peaceful Development Road

Peaceful development is the strategic judgment on the "era theme" originally raised by Deng Xiaoping for the Chinese Government in the1970s-1980s. In 1977， Deng Xiaoping said that the outbreak of war could be postponed， and in 1982 that the factors for awar is growing while the factors preventing the war also growing. On March 4， 1985， meeting with a Japanese delegation， Deng Xiaoping pointed out that the really big problems in the current world and global strategic issues are two， one is an issue of peace， another is the economic issue or the development issue.4

The proposed themes of peace and development provide a strategic thinking for China's integration into the international community and the full participation in the international order. In the Early 21st Century，with the post- Cold War changes of the global architecture and the adjustment of the international order， the trend of world multi-polarization and economic globalization is developing continuously， seeking peace，pursuing cooperation and promoting development have become the common goal of peoples of the world. Sound international environment has provided China with an important strategic opportunity period， but hegemony and power politics are still in existence， and global issues threatening human survival and development in all areas are highlighted， which restrain the process of world peace and development. Since the reform and opening up， China's rapid development of comprehensive national strength provide an inexhaustible motive force for the development of the global economy， meanwhile， also attracts extensive attention of the international community. Suspicions about China's development intentions， speed， scale and other factors generate a series of negative public opinion such as "China Threat"， "China collapse" and others， and few western countries and neighboring countries even argue that there is a possibility for China to achieve national interests and seize the world hegemony through aggression and expansion， and other violent means， which seriously affect China's national image and international status， and become the constraints for China's development process.

China's fundamental interests， state nature，political system and basic national policies have determined that the development of China cannot follow the road of expansion， but the historical and cultural traditions and the development of the current situation of China and the development trend of the present world provide for China a development orientation --China is to develop in peace.

The proposal and establishment of China's peaceful development road is a profound revelation of scientific connotation of the socialist road with Chinese characteristics， but also is a clear reflection of unity between the internal and external policies of the CPC and the Government.5

The peaceful transformation of the existing international system and the China's peaceful development road are in parallel，which is a rare strategic opportunity for China，participating in the international system transformation and accelerating innovation of the domestic system are interactive， and are also the two major elements of China's peaceful development road.6Based on the afore-mentioned background， peaceful development road is adjusting and deepening the national strategy in line with the changing domestic and international situations， is not only to make a resounding answer with a solemn oath to the whole world， but also shows China's future development direction and route. The formation of this route has been through restructuring the theoretical framework and the proposal and determination of the specific concepts and in practice has made achievements attracting the world attention.

In November 2003， Zheng Bijian， the former Vice President of the Party School， the CPC Central Committee， and Chair of China's Reform and Opening up Forum， is the first to put forward the proposition of "China's peaceful rise" in the speech entitled "A New Road of China's Peaceful Rise and the Asia's Future" at the Boao Forum for Asia. Zheng Bijian believes that the history of the great powers' rivalry for hegemony in modern times repeatedly explains that the rise of a major power often leads to a dramatic change of international architecture and the world order，and even triggers a world war. One of the important reasons is that they took the road of wars of aggression， and carried out external expansion. But， taking such a road always ends in failure...... While China's choice can only be working hard for the rise， and also a peacefulrise. That is to say， to develop China by maintaining the international peaceful environment， and safeguard world peace through China's development.7As a start， the Chinese scholars and statesmen carry out systematic studies on the major issues of China's peaceful rise， so in the political，economic， cultural， social and other aspects emerge a pool of research results， which lays a solid theoretical foundation for China's peaceful development road.

In December 2003， Hu Jintao pointed out in his important speech at the conference in commemoration of the 110th birthday of Comrade Mao Zedong that in the face of continuous development of the world multi-polarization and economic globalization and complex and changing international situations， China will always adhere to the objective of China's foreign policy on maintaining world peace and promoting common development， undertake the principle of keeping a watch calmly and sober-minded response in the spirit of mutual respect and seeking common ground while reserving differences， work with peoples of the world to advocate the democratization of international relations and the diversification of development models， and oppose all forms of hegemony and power politics， as well as all forms of terrorism，promote the establishment of a fair and reasonable new international political and economic order， and collaboratively promote the lofty cause of peace and development of mankind.8In April 24， 2004， Hu Jintao in his speech “China's Development and Asian Opportunity” at the Opening Ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia formally proposed China's development should take "peaceful development road"， and pointed out that China's development cannot alienate Asia， and Asia's prosperity also needs China. China will adhere to the peaceful development road， hold high the banner of peace， development and cooperation， and create an Asian new situation together with other Asian countries， and strive to make greater contributions to the lofty cause of peace and development of mankind.9

On March 5， 2005， Wen Jiabao stressed in his government work report the significance of "peaceful development road" for China's future development， pointing out that China will unswervingly follow the road of peaceful development， and adhere to the independent foreign policy of peace， pursue an opening strategy of mutual benefits and win-win cooperation， and make unremitting efforts together with all countries in order to promote the progress of human civilization， advance the well-being of peoples of all countries and build a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity for all.10As a landmark，the Chinese Government extends the "peaceful rise" to the "peaceful development"， and sets the peaceful development road an important strategy for the national future development.

On December 22， 2005， China's State Council Information Office issued a White Paper entitled "China's Peaceful Development Road"， which provides a comprehensive interpretation for the peaceful development road， and further strengthens the determination of the Chinese Government and people to take the peaceful development road through the following five aspects of exposition， i.e. the peaceful development is the only way for China's modernization， to promote the world's peace and development with its own development， to attain development by relying on its own strength and reform and innovation，to realize mutual benefit and common development with all countries， and build a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.11The Central Foreign Affairs Work Conference held in August 2006 stated that only China hold high the banner of peace， development and cooperation， and firmly pursue the peaceful development road，i.e. to develop China through the maintenance of world peace and to promote the world peace through the national development， and strengthen peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation with all countries in the world， can its better external conditions be created for its development， and its sustainable development be achieved soundly.12Since then， in October 2006， The Historical Decision on a Number of Important Issues Concerning Construction of Harmonious Socialist Society adopted by the Sixth Plenary Session of the16th CPC Central Committee makes further explanation and discussion on peaceful development road， hence， the peaceful development road has become a major strategic decision regarding China's development and route.13

In October 2007， Hu Jintao pointed out in the Report to the 17th CPC National Congress that China will unswervingly pursue the peaceful development road. This is the strategic choice made by the Chinese Government and people in accordance with a development trend of the times and the national fundamental interests. The Chinese nation is a nation who loves peace， and China is always a staunch force to maintain world peace...... China opposes various forms of hegemony and power politics， never seeks hegemony， and is never engaged in expansion.14The 2010 China's Defense Policy White Paper on the national defense policy points out that China's development road， fundamental task， foreign policy， and historical and cultural traditions determine that China is bound to implement a defense policy with defense in nature； China firmly adheres to the peaceful development road， builds a socialist harmonious society domestically and promotes the construction of a harmonious world with lasting peace and common prosperity.15On September 6， 2011，the State Council Information Office issued China's Peaceful Development white paper，further clarifying the start， the overall goal， the foreign policy of China's peaceful development road. The White Paper points out that the peaceful development is the inevitable choice of history， and then further discusses the world significance of China's peaceful development.16The Report to the 18th CPC National Congress on November 8， 2012 stresses that China will unswervingly persist in the peaceful development road， firmly pursue an independent foreign policy of peace........ China opposes all forms of hegemony and power politics， never seeks hegemony， and is never engaged in expansion.17In March 2013，having taken the office of the Chinese presidency， and his visit to Russia as the first overseas state visit， during which Xi Jinping points out in a speech at the University of International Relations in Moscow that since modern times， the Chinese people. Having suffered hundred-year ordeal from foreign aggressions and the internal wars， are well aware of the value of peace， and mostly need the national construction in a peaceful environment in order to continuously improve the people's livelihood. China will unswervingly take the peaceful development road， and is committed to promotion of open development， cooperation development， and win-win development， and call on all countries to take the peaceful development road.18On March 5， 2014， Premier Li Keqiang stresses in his Government Work Report that the Chinese people love peace and are eager for development， China's modernization program needs a long-term and stable international environment； China will continue to hold high the development， cooperation and win-win banner， persist firmly in the peaceful development road， and constantly follow the open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.19

China's choice of the peaceful development road is resulted from changes in political， economic， social areas and other areas，and also resulted from the era themes of peace and development and the changing world situation. Since China's peaceful development road is put forward， a relatively complete theoretical framework is gradually shaped in its course of exploration and practice， having experienced the initial proposal and further clarification and improvement process， set as the country's long-term development strategy，and made outstanding contributions to peace and development in China and the world at large.

II. The Cultural Foundation for China's Peaceful Development Road

China's taking the peaceful development road is based on the Chinese history and culture for more than five thousand years. The Chinese nation has created a splendid Chinese culture in the history of mankind， and shaped the traditional culture with strong vitality. Chinese traditional culture has an ancient history with extensiveness and profoundness. Among which，"harmony" is the principle permeated through China's culture， and is the life of China's humanistic spirit. "Harmony" is generally accepted， and its general principles and rules also have the ideal value of free thinking. Whether it is a new life in universe or on earth，people and nature， society and people-to-people relationship， or politics， economics， institutions，ethics， values， psychological structures，aesthetic feelings， etc. are permeated with "harmony" spirit.20"Harmony" is very common and often seen in Oracle bones.21It contains a meaning of integrating two or more different elements or factors together. "Harmony" contains a rich and profound connotation， Confucian， Taoist， Mohist，Guanist， and Legal schools in the era of pre-Qin dynasty all attach importance to harmony. The Confucian and Mohist schools give attention to benevolent harmony， Taoist school emphasizes identical harmony， Guanist school advocates cultivated harmony and the legalist school promotes major and minor harmony.22In summary， within the Chinese traditional culture， the three philosophies of "Confucianism， Buddhism and Taoism" can coexist because they have the interlinked core value -- harmony. The core of Confucianism is "benevolence" and "harmony"， which is about human relations. Buddhism gives attention to samara and dissolving conflicts without violent means， which is also "harmony". Taoism pays attention to compatibility with the nature，which is a doctrine of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. The reason why the Chinese nation has a long history is because of the precious "harmony"， and "polymerized" diversity.23. The "valuable harmony"， "harmony without blind following"， and "harmony between man and nature" are three important aspects of the ideological connotation of "harmony" in the Chinese culture. In concrete terms as follows：

First， the "valuable harmony". Confucius advocated that in conducting rites， seeking harmony is the most valuable principle" （"Analects of Confucius" - Xue'er）. The implementation and application of the rites must make harmony precious. Confucius advocated harmonious governance， arguing that the wars by the feudal lords for dominance should be though twice. Mencius clearly pointed out that "a rear opportunity is not as good as favorable terrain and favorable terrain is not as good as friendly people" （"Mencius -Gongsun Chouxia"）. Among the three main factors of "rear opportunity"， "favorable terrain"， and "friendly people" affecting the outcome of a war，" he set the "friendly people" first， and argued that it is the most important and decisive factor. Xunzi viewed that all things stay due to their harmony （Xunzi-On Heaven）， aiming to promote an idea of growth due to harmony， and emphasized that "harmony" is the continuous and update basis for all things， and anything cannot continue to reproduce or produce something new without "harmony" or with "little harmony". Dong Zhongshu pointed out that with harmony， there is fairness between the Heaven and the Earth and equilibrium between the Yin and the Yang，which provides the best environment for things to grow and reproduce. Those who take harmony sincerely will receive universal praise （Spring and Autumn -- righteousness of the Yin and the Yang - follow the universal doctrine road"）. He takes "harmony" the most common principles between the Heaven and the Earth. The thoughts and ideas of the Chinese people cherishing peace， adhering to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence，and taking the peaceful development road are deeply influenced by the idea of "valuable harmony" in the Chinese traditional culture.

Second， "harmony without blind following". "Harmony" attaches importance to harmonious coexistence and peace， but this does not negate difference and conflict， on the contrary，recognizes differences and conflicts as the premise， and pursues cooperation， peace and harmony. In the history of China， there existed the famous "debate between harmony and similarity". "Mandarin Language： Zheng Language" has a record of views on harmony and similarity by Shi Bo in the later years of Western Zhou Dynasty. Shi Bo argued that harmony is to coordinate and integrate different matters together while similarity is to simply put different matters together. That is to say，only organically combine different elements toformulate a unity of diversity， can a harmonious effect be attained. Only to simply put identical matters together will not result in quantitative increase without a qualitative change， so neither new things will be produced nor will things further develop. Master Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals lists a dialogue between Yan Ying and Master Qijing on differentiation between harmony and similarity. Comparing "harmony" with making soup and playing music， Yan Ying believed that a delicious soup can be cooked only by taking appropriate amount of various materials together， and a wonderful music can be played only by arranging different temperament properly， and further extended it to the human relationships and enriched "harmony" connotation with an idea of complementarity.

Confucius inherited the thought on emphasizing harmony and belittling similarity saying that "a gentleman unites with people of principle and never follows other blindly while a pretty man follows other blindly without regard to principle" （"Analects of Confucius" - Zi Lu）. To set the standards for differentiating between "harmony" and "similarity" embodies the value orientation to emphasize harmony and belittle similarity. "Harmony without blind following" thinking has become an important source of China's diplomatic theory and practice， China adheres to the independent foreign policy of peace，respects the interests of other countries，upholds common ground while reserving differences， and pursues mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

Third， "harmony between man and nature". The "harmony between man and nature" stresses reconciliation， coordination and harmony between man and nature；emphasizes that man should understand the nature， cognate nature and law， and achieve integration between man and nature， which reflects the harmonious spirit contained in the traditional culture of China and also crystallizes a concept of the Chinese nation to pursue harmony in the interpersonal relationships and even in international relations. The thought of "harmony between man and nature" has a gradual process of evolution， which occurred far back in the pre-Qin Dynasty， but a clear-cut proposition is first put forward by the famous philosopher Zhang Zai in the Northern Song Dynasty.24. During the Spring and Autumn period， scholar Zi Chan of the Kingdom Zheng believed that the "Rites" is the inevitable law as proper principles of the nature， and people must follow the "Rites"， which connects the natural law with human nature， reflecting a thinking of communication between nature and man， and their operation according to unified law. In the Warring States period， Mencius believed that "working with one's all heart indicates his personality， knowing one's personality equals knowing heavenly laws" （"Mencius -dedication"）. Mencius combined human nature with heavenly laws， and argued that the two are interlinked. Up to the Han Dynasty， the idea of integration between man and nature evolves into Dong Zhongshu's heaven-man induction view. Dong Zhongshu introduced the theory of the Yin and the Yang into Confucianism， and compared the human body with seasonal changes of nature， arguing that the Heaven has the Yin and the Yang， and a man does too， and advocating a merge of the same kind and heaven-man integration. （Spring and Autumn Fanlu： Yin and Yang ）. During the dual Song period， the idea of integrated man and nature developed into a dominant social cultural thought. Zhang Zai was the first to explicitly put forward the proposition of "man-nature integration" in the history of Chinese culture. Zhang Zai argued that the origin of the world is void of weak energy， all lives are made up of energy， and energy is the basis for harmony between man and nature， and the "harmony between man and nature" is the acme of man. In his opinion， the highest ideal of human life is man-nature harmony.25The man-nature unity embodies the unity between man and nature，and the coordinated unity between moral and nature emphasizes more on the concept of harmony， as well as the unity and harmony between man and nature， among people，between man and society， and even between states up to the modern development.

Yu Yingshi believed that an analysis of social theories on the Chinese traditions must focus on two basic elements： First isindividuals with value consciousness. Second is family based on the natural relationship and "family"， "state" and "the world" is the expansion of "family". The Chinese believes that social groups at all levels is the same as "family"， which is built on the natural relationship. Since they are members of a "family"， harmonious coexistence should be attainable. According to China's social outlook，the central value of maintaining the natural relationship is "harmony"， "equality"，"equilibrium"， etc. which is constant， and conflict and contradiction are changeable.26It can be summarized that "harmony" as the humanistic spirit and value ideal of the Chinese traditional culture exerts an important impact on the establishment of the peaceful development road. Peaceful development is a great achievement harvested in the fertile soil of the Chinese "harmony" thinking. Having carried forward the traditional culture，Confucianism advocates "valuable harmony" in the way of doing things， adheres to the code of conduct of "doing not onto others as you would not have them do onto you，" （the Analects of Confucius - Yan Yuan）， and requests people to "help others establish what they wish to establish and achieve something they wish to achieve （" the Analects of Confucius - Yong Ye）in daily business. China takes the peaceful development road， does not invade other countries， does not conquer the world， does not seek hegemony， and is of a view that China builds up herself and other countries should also build themselves up so China's building can last， which is embodiment of the Chinese traditional culture.

III. The Connotation of China's Peaceful Development Road

The connotation of the peaceful development road is very rich. Among them，"peace" has two meanings： First， it refers to the domestic peace， i.e. a country's internal stability and order. Second， it refers to the international peace， i.e. no conflict or war emerging between countries or regions， at least no large scale world war. Domestic peace and international peace are closely linked. The so-called "development" refers to matters changing from small to big， from simplicity to complexity， and from a low level to a higher level. On the road to social development， development refers to getting rid of poverty， and becoming strong， so that the country's comprehensive national strength and international influence quickly upgrade.27The peaceful development road reflects the deepening integration between "peace" and "development"， but also fit into the peace and development theme of the times. .

"China's Peaceful Development Road" white paper makes a clear-cut definition and comprehensive elaboration for China's peaceful development， whose basic connotations include the following： strive for the peaceful international environment to develop China，and also promote world peace through national development； attain development by relying on national strength and reform and innovation，and also adhere to the opening up to the world；conform to the development trend of economic globalization， and strive to achieve mutual benefit and common development with all countries in the world； pursue peace，development and cooperation， and jointly committed to building a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity with all countries.28"China's Peaceful Development" white paper more clearly points out： from a wider world history perspective， the peaceful development road can be summed up as follows： strive for national development through maintenance of world peace， and maintain world peace through national development； emphasize reliance on national strength and reform and innovation to achieve development， also adhere to opening-up to the outside world， and learn from other countries；follow the development trend of economic globalization and seek mutual benefit and win-win cooperation as well as common development with all countries in the world；and work together with the international community to promote the building of a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity. The most striking feature of this Road is the scientific development，independent development， open development，peaceful development and cooperation development， common development.......Promote the building of a harmonious world，adhere to the independent foreign policy of peace， and promote a new security concept of mutual trust， mutual benefit， equality and cooperation， and undertake the active and promising international responsibility， as well as neighborly regional cooperation concept， etc.29The peaceful development road is the development direction and path chosen and pursued by the Chinese Government and people， which is the important embodiment of socialism with Chinese characteristics， and also the concrete application of Marxism in the course of its development in China， and has profound connotation.

First， the peaceful development road is the essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics， which is different from the development path of western capitalist countries and the traditional socialist countries. Deng Xiaoping's theory takes the continuous development of social productive forces and the maintenance of peace as the essential characteristics for adhering to socialism with Chinese characteristics. Peaceful domestic and international environment is essentially important for development of social productive forces and assurance of people's livelihood， the peaceful development road is a specific crisscross formed by two different areas， i.e. country and world， and peace and development，and is the strategic path to combine the national interests and the interests of all countries in the world. This reflects the deep foundation of Chinese traditional thinking and culture， and also shows the advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Comrade Deng Xiaoping had promoting peace and restraining war set as China's state policy， and had peace and development integrated into the whole process of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is different from the development road of western capitalist countries and the traditional socialist countries historically， and adhering to the peaceful development road means never seeking hegemony， never engaging in power politics，never sacrificing the interests of other countries，but establishing the world's overall peace and development in the main position in the course of becoming stronger.30The peaceful development road is the abandonment of the development path to achieve rise through force and war by Western capitalist countries and the traditional socialist countries， and advocates through China's development and peaceful means to promote the establishment of a fair and rational new international political and economic order.

Second， the peaceful development road is the concrete embodiment of the reform and opening-up strategically， and is further deepening of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in the background of peace and development of the times. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPCCC， the reform and opening-up connect China with the world，China has embarked on a new peaceful development road that is compatible with its national conditions and the features of the times. The Five Principle of Peaceful Coexistence is the foreign policy that has been pursued ever since the founding of new China， and is the fundamental guidelines for China to handle foreign relations. The peaceful development road and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are based on the common history and culture and the ideology， China's international status is constantly rising with its strengthened national strength； on the basis of adhering of the Five Principles Of Peaceful Coexistence， China has adopted more active，positive and responsible attitude in international affairs； the peaceful development road reflects China's integrating its national development into the world's development and attaching importance to the fundamental interests of other peoples in addition to that of its own people. The peaceful development road is developing and deepening of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence under the background of new era， and comes down in one continuous line with it， the final purpose of which is to promote development with peace and promote peace in development.

Third， the peaceful development road is to achieve China's development through peaceful means， and promote common development of all countries in the world through its own development. China's development cannot beseparated from the world， the development of the world cannot be separated from China either. The significance of China's peaceful development lies not only in the growth of its national strength， but is also conducive to peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world at large. The peaceful development road advocates in the context of economic globalization adherence to opening up to the outside world， carrying out extensive cooperation， and ultimately achieving mutual benefit and win-win results. The fundamental characteristic of China's peaceful development road is to independently construct socialism with Chinese characteristics in the process of integrating into the economic globalization instead of separating with it and achieving mutual benefit and win-win progress with the international community.31China should take advantage of the world's overall peaceful and stable opportunity to promote its own development， and achieve its own development goals， but should also enter the global system and play a role， and contribute to the common development of various countries in the world.

Fourth， the main route of the peaceful development road is to enhance the national strength， while truly becoming a world's major power. China should undertake responsibility of a major power， which would take a relatively long process. China's peaceful development road refers to both the road completed in the entire process of building socialism with Chinese characteristics with continuous efforts needed to be made by several generations， a dozen generations， or even scores of generations， and also the fundamental road undertaken at the development stage with distinctive features of the peaceful rise with the reform and opening up at the end of the 1970s as the beginning and basic realization of modernization in the mid-21st century and achievement of historical leap from least developed country to medium-developed country as a symbol. The essential objective of this China's road is to resolve the right to substance， development and education for 1.3 to 1.5 billion Chinese people in the total span of 70 years. Its most profound fundamental connotation is to achieve revival of the Chinese civilization in the process of intersection with various civilizations and continuous promotion of the spirit of independent innovation in the first half of 21st century in the contemporary world.32China's peaceful development is a long process， the reason is not only because no precedent of the peaceful rise by a great power can be used for reference， but also a series of domestic and international issues faced by China's peaceful development need urgent solutions. For the Chinese Government and people， peaceful development is not only a strategic line， but also the development goals need pursuit for a long time.

Fifth， it is the peaceful development， open development and the cooperation development that the peaceful development road adheres. Opening up is a essential characteristic of the peaceful development road China is pioneering，which is the core route for China to handle its world relations， and has substantially contributed to the positive interaction between China and the world.33The peaceful development road is a strategic embodiment of the reform and opening up in concrete term，opening up to the outside world provides a good opportunity for China's development， and China' development in recent years is benefited from the continuous improvement of its openness. Only open development can be adhered， can common prosperity of China and the world be promoted. The peaceful development road requires China to achieve a mutual beneficial win-win situation， and promote prosperity and development of the world through friendly cooperation with all countries in the world. The peaceful development road is to adhere to independence，and self-reliance， to achieve development relying on its own strength and system innovation， to pursue the basic national policy of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the reform and opening up， and to achieve mutual benefit and win-win progress through equal cooperation with all countries in the world

IV. The Orientation Of China's Peaceful Development Road

The peaceful development road is thestrategic choice made by China on the basis of its fundamental interests and guided by the era trend of peace and development. Peaceful development is an important part of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics， the development orientation and route the Chinese Government and people choose and adhere， but even more aspirations of and the objective assiduously pursued by the entire Chinese nation for a long time. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPCCC，comrades from Deng Xiaoping to Jiang Zemin，Hu Jintao， and Xi Jinping constantly pass on the torch relay to promote and provide the leadership for the CPC and China under the circumstance of these complex situations，always vigorously strive for developing China in the peaceful international environment， and maintain and promote world peace with China's development， and accumulate abundant experiences， and creatively open up the unique road -- China's peaceful development road--. no emerging power has ever touched on in the world modern history.34

In 2005， having made a comprehensive explanation on the reasons for China's peaceful development road， Hu Jintao pointed out that China's adherence to the peaceful development road has both the realistic needs of China's development and the historical origin of China's development. Firstly， China's adherence to the peaceful development road is based on the inevitable choice by the Chinese historical and cultural traditions. The Chinese nation always upholds sincerity and builds harmony as well as advocates peace， the Chinese culture always emphasizes the value concept of precious harmony. Review the long history of the Chinese nation for 5000 years； Chinese people always emphasize good will and neighborliness in foreign exchanges， keeping harmony without blind following...... Since the founding of new China， China adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace and pursues development of friendly cooperation with all countries in the world on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence，and always lives in harmony with various countries， and is always a staunch force to maintain world peace and promote common development. Secondly， China's adherence to the peaceful development road is based on the inevitable choice of the current world development trend. Pursuing peace， promoting development and seeking cooperation are the common aspirations of people in the world， and also an irresistible historical trend. The purpose of China's foreign policy is to maintain world peace， and promote common development. China will unswervingly hold high the banner of peace， development and cooperation， firmly embark on the peaceful development road， and work together with people of the world to promote the lofty cause of peace and development of mankind.35

China's peaceful development is rooted in its history and culture， shaped in its development practice， based on its basic national conditions， conforms to the world cooperation trend， and crystallizes its national will. Dai Bingguo， the then Councilor of the State Council provides the following understanding on strategic orientation of China's peaceful development road： Firstly，China's peaceful development is not water without a source and tree without roots； but has a very profound historical and cultural origin. Secondly， China's peaceful development road is not born in a study based on fantasy by a few persons， but is gradually explored and shaped in about 60 years after the founding of new China particularly in the great practice of the reform and opening up. Thirdly， China's peaceful development road is neither a matter of expediency nor a strategy to abide by time，but is long-term strategic choice based on its own basic conditions， its honesty and sincerity，and self-consciousness. Fourthly， China's peaceful development road is not used to deceive foreigners， but a rational choice conforming to the trend of the world based on calm analysis and scientific judgment of the current world situation， which China will truly implement. Fifthly， China's declared peaceful development road is not only on the lips， and just empty talk， but is built on a solid political，policy and strategic foundation， and its deeds match the words. Sixthly， exploration and practice of China's peaceful development road has not come to the end， but will be anever-ending， continuous process of exploration and improvement. Seventhly，China's peaceful development road is not only a business of the Chinese， but needs understanding， support and cooperation by the international community.36This explanation is a further clarification on the strategic orientation of the peaceful development road. The direction of China's peaceful development road from a strategic perspective transcends the road in the past by deepening decision-making on the development path， and exploring a new road.

First， adhere to the five principles of peaceful coexistence， and follow an independent foreign policy. According to the overall layout of diplomacy with major powers being the key， peripheral countries being the primary， developing countries being the foundation， and the multilateral events being the important stage， China should hold high the banner of peace， development and cooperation，and properly handle its relationship with countries in the world， and strive for sound international environment for its own development. In handling relations with major powers， it should adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as the foundation， seek common ground while reserving differences，attach importance to the fundamental interests of peoples of all countries， and achieve mutual benefit and win-win progress equally and cooperatively. In handling relations with neighboring countries， China should adhere to the policy of maintaining amity， friendship and enrichment with neighbors， stabilize the situation in periphery， and make efforts to achieve common development. In handling the relationship with developing countries， China should strengthen exchanges and cooperation with other developing countries， and maintain mutual support with developing countries in major international affairs， and create a sound international environment for peaceful development. In handling multilateral relations，China should attach importance to the active conduct of multilateral diplomacy， build a responsible big country image， and promote establishment of a fair and reasonable new international political and economic order through its own development.

Second， adhere to the reform and opening up， and attain mutual benefit and win-win progress in equal cooperation. The Report to the 17th CPC National Congress states that China will unswervingly follow an open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win.37The Report to the 18th CPC National Congress stresses China will unswervingly follow an open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win，and promote strong， sustainable and balanced growth of the world economy through deepening cooperation. China is committed to narrowing the gap between the North and South，and supports developing countries to enhance their capacity for independent development.38Opening up to the outside world is an essential feature of China's peaceful development road，and is the strategic path for China to realize a moderately prosperous society in all respects，achieve domestic harmony， promote world harmony， and expand the international impact.39In the era of world multi-polarization and the economic globalization， the reform and opening up is still one of the basic state policies that China needs adhere to， while "mutual benefit and win-win" is the best care for the fundamental interests of China and other countries under the prerequisite of increasing closer and deepening interdependent state-to-state relations， and is the goal China assiduously pursue during its peaceful development.

Third， to build a socialist harmonious society internally， and build a promising world of lasting peace and common prosperity internationally. China's concept of world order is extension of the harmonious society concept，and the peaceful development needs not only a harmonious internal environment， but also a harmonious and prosperous external environment. This requires China in the peaceful development process to make overall planning， and contribute to the harmonious development of the domestic and international environment. To build a harmonious society internally is the goal for a Marxist Party to pursue with unremitting efforts. And the domestic social environment featured by democracy and rule of law， fairness and justice，honesty and friendship， vitality， stability and order， and harmonious coexistence between man and nature is bound to be conducive to China's national strength growth. To shape an international order and promote the establishment of an international new political and economic order with democracy， justice and equality as well as to realize the lasting peace and common prosperity of the world are the purpose of China's peaceful development. China's peaceful development road is to unify its domestic development with opening up to the outside world， connect China's development with world development， and integrate interests of the Chinese people with common interests of peoples of the world".40

V. The Practice of China's Peaceful Development Road

Since being put forward， China's peaceful development road has seen great development from theory to practice. Through political，economic， military， cultural， diplomatic and other practices， China's peaceful development road has achieved a historic transcendence，which contributes to China's own development and the world's peace and prosperity. It can be concluded that China's adherence to reform and opening up， and to peaceful development result in significant increase of China's comprehensive national strength and the development attracting world-wide attention as well as the forward march on the road to realize the dream of great rejuvenation for the Chinese nation of 1.3 billion people. China effectively responds to the financial crisis consequences，actively participates in international cooperation in response to the crisis， plays an important role in pulling the world economic recovery， and in cooperation to deal with global challenges as well as has become an important member of the global economic governance mechanism. China will unswervingly follow the peaceful development road， adhere to the correct concept of justice and interests，advocates that various countries firmly establish the sense of human community of shared destiny， promote the construction of a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation as the core， and jointly build a world of peace， harmony and prosperity.

Politically， adhere to the socialist political development path with Chinese characteristics and promote political restructuring. Since the reform and opening up， China has successfully opened up and adhered to the socialist political development path with Chinese characteristics，and social harmony is the essential attribute of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In October 2006， the Six Plenary Session of the 16th CPCCC adopted the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Number Of Major Issues Concerning Construction Of a Socialist Harmonious Society， which comprehensively expounds the nature and status， guiding ideology， objectives and tasks， and working principles and major plans of the socialist society with Chinese characteristics. In October 2007， the 17th CPC National Congress emphasized the importance of building a socialist harmonious society， so "harmony" has become the main melody of China's strategic opportunity period. The Report to the 18th CPC National Congress points out uniting all the forces that can be united， maximizing harmonious factors， enhancing the innovative vitality of society， ensuring people's living and working in peace and contentment， social stability and orderly， and national long-term stability.41

Economically， adhere to the economic construction as the center， and ensure the objectives of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and comprehensively deepening reform. The overall goal of China's peaceful development road is to realize the national modernization and common prosperity of its people. During the 11th Five-year Plan period， China effectively responded to the huge impact of international financial crisis， maintained a sound posture of stable and rapid economic development， overcame the major natural disasters such as the Wenchuan earthquake，Sichuan province， successfully hosted the Beijing Olympics， Shanghai World Expo and the Guangzhou Asian Games， victoriously completed the main objectives and tasks set by the 11th Five-year Plan. On March 15， 2011，the Fourth Session of the 11th NationalPeople's Congress adopted The Resolution On the 12th Five-Year Program concerning the National Economy and Social Development，which sets the main goals as follows： Attain stable and relatively rapid economic growth，make significant progress in strategic restructuring of economy， significantly improve the level of science and technology and education， achieve remarkable results in resource saving and environmental protection，continue to improve people's livelihood，obviously strengthen social construction， and continuously deepen the reform and opening up. After the hard work by people of the whole country， the transformation of economic development mode has achieved substantive progress， comprehensive national strength，international competitiveness and ability to resist risks has significantly increased and the foundation for comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society in all respects becomes more solid. Meanwhile， China will actively carry out international exchanges and cooperation， expand and deepen the convergence of interests of all parties and promote common development of all countries.42China has actively carried out economic cooperation with various countries in the world to achieve complementary advantages， strive to establish a fair， open，rational and non-discriminative multilateral trading system， jointly promote economic globalization towards a balanced， inclusive，win-win development direction， and promote common prosperity and development of all countries in the world.

Militarily， China pursues a national defense policy with defensive in nature， and the purpose of strengthening national defense construction is to maintain the national sovereignty， security， territorial integrity， and safeguard the national peaceful development. China's Peaceful Development Road White Paper points out that various countries should adhere to the peaceful means to resolve international disputes or conflicts through equal consultation and negotiation， jointly oppose invasive acts against the sovereignty of other countries， and oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries， and oppose willful use of force or threat of force ......realize effective disarmament and arms control in accordance with fair， reasonable，comprehensive and balanced principles，prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction， and actively promote the international nuclear disarmament process， and maintain global strategic stability.43In recent years， in the face of complex international security situation， China actively promotes common， comprehensive， cooperative and sustainable security concept， and upholds the view that various countries should conform to the era trend of peace， development，cooperation and win-win， and strive to build a new security path jointly strengthened， enjoyed，and maintained with win-win for all.44

Of course， China， on the peaceful development road， is not without the bottom line. China's Peaceful Development Road White Paper for the first time clearly defines China's core interests， i.e.， the basic assurance of national sovereignty， national security，territorial integrity， national unification， China's constitution-established national political system and social stability， and economic and social sustainable development.45On January 28， 2013， at the third collective study of CPCCC Political Bureau， the main subject is to unswervingly undertake the peaceful development road. Chairing the study session，General Secretary Xi Jinping stresses China must adhere to the peaceful development road，but must not give up its legitimate rights and interests， and must not sacrifice the national core interests either. He states that any foreign state should not expect China do a deal with its core interests， and not expect it to swallow the bitter fruits of damaging China's sovereignty， security and development interests. China is pursuing the peaceful development road， and other countries should do the same，and only all countries take the peaceful development road， can they attain common development and peacefully coexist. General Secretary Xi's speech， on the one hand， declares to the world that China will continue to adhere to the peaceful development road， and on the other hand， that China on peaceful development road is not without the bottom-line principle.46

Culturally， pay attention to the Chinese traditional culture heritage and development，respect cultural diversity， strengthen cultural exchanges with various countries of the world，and promote further development of state-to-state relations through the mutual communication and acceptance of culture. China's peaceful development respects diversity of human civilizations， and insists on inclusiveness and opening-up， and realize dialogue between civilizations. Diversity of civilizations is the basic characteristic of human society， but also the important driving force for the progress of human civilizations. Countries should respect each other's rights to independent choice of social system and development path， and learn from each other to make up deficiencies， so that all countries can achieve revitalization and development in line with their own national conditions. We should strengthen dialogues and exchanges between different civilizations， and try to mutually dispel doubts and worries， promote common development in the process of seeking common ground while reserving differences， ensure mankind more harmony， make the world richer and more colorful. We should maintain diversity of civilizations and development modes， and jointly build a harmonious world composed of various civilizations.47China's peaceful development road is peaceful development， open development and cooperative development， and cultural exchanges and cooperation are the proper meaning of the peaceful development road. In August 2008， China's first successful hosting of the Olympic Games provided the world an opportunity to better understand the developing China and the rising China； in 2010， the Shanghai World Expo was the first World Expo hosted by a developing country， highlighting the strength of China since its reform and opening up. The Guangzhou Asian Games held the same year makes China's contact with various countries within the continent more closely， and communication more frequently. Through the Asian Cultural Forum and other forms of carrying out cultural exchanges world-wide， promote the Chinese traditional civilization， absorb and digest diversified civilizations. The Chinese civilization is one of pluralistic integration， self-governance and common prosperity， also of dialectical choices with systematic integration， and has the characteristics of continuity， inclusiveness and openness. To adhere to the peaceful development road requires recognition of uniqueness of various national cultures and the differences between them， and seek common ground while reserving differences， and to achieve common prosperity. Cultural exchanges and cooperation provide the world an opportunity to better know China and understand China， and only get the understanding， support and cooperation of all countries in the world， can China's peaceful development road really achieve its strategic objectives.

Diplomatically， continue to pursue the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and independent foreign policy of peace， adhere to the peripheral foreign policy of friendship and partnership with the neighbors， actively participate in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy， hold high the banner of peace，development and cooperation， and carry out equal cooperation to attain mutual benefit and win-win results in the world， and play an important role in a range of major international affairs of regions and world at large. The foreign policy of China's peaceful development lies in the fact that as a member of the international community， China has a great expectation toward to the future world， and adheres to the concept of international relations and foreign policy adapted to the peaceful development including promotion of building a harmonious world， following the independent foreign policy of peace， advocating the new security concept of mutual trust， mutual benefit，equality and cooperation， undertaking international responsibility for positive and effective results， and pursuing neighborly regional cooperation.48China chooses and insists on the peaceful development road， and pursues development in peace， promotes peace through development， is devoted to promoting the cause of world peace and prosperity through its national development. The purpose of the peaceful development road is integratedinto China's diplomatic work， and the peaceful development road provides a directional guidance for the conduct of China's diplomatic work. Since the 18th CPC National Congress，the CPC Central Committee promotes innovation of diplomatic theory and practice，i.e. propose Chinese dream， adhere to the correct concept of justice and interests， build a new type of big country relations between China and the United States， as well as implement peripheral diplomatic concept of amity， sincerity， benefits and inclusiveness in 2013， and come out with new concepts in 2014，i.e. propose to build a new type of international relations with cooperation and win-win as the core， structure a global partnership network，conceive the Asia-Pacific dream， and develop the security concept for Asia. These new ideas and innovations further clearly draw China's thinking outline for the current world and China's diplomatic strategy， and have injected a distinct Chinese element into the contemporary international relations.49

VI. The Significance of China's Peaceful Development Road

The peaceful development road is the development path with Chinese characteristics built by China， which is based on the profound Chinese history and cultural traditions， and is the inheritance and development of the Chinese nation's outstanding civilization. China's peaceful development road abandons the beaten track by the rising western capitalist countries and the traditional socialist countries， puts forward the new national development strategy on the basis of summarizing historical lessons of the national development with Marxist theory as the guidance， provides a directional guidance for China's internal affairs and diplomacy， but also makes clear to people of China and the world its development orientation.

China's peaceful development road has profound theoretical significance as follows：

First， China's adherence to peaceful development road is inheritance and development of the Chinese traditional culture. In the ancient and profound China's traditional culture， "harmony" embodies its primary value and essence， and runs through the whole process of China traditional cultural development， and is deeply rooted in various schools of thoughts in different times. The "valuable harmony"， "harmony without blind following"， and "harmony between man and nature" are the three important aspects of its profound connotations： The "valuable harmony" is the cultural origin for the Chinese people loving peace， adhering to The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence， and the peaceful development road. The "harmony without blind following" is an important source of Chinese diplomatic theory and practice，China pursues the independent foreign policy of peace， and also respects the interests of other countries， and advocates mutual benefit and win-win cooperation， seeking common ground while reserving differences. The "harmony between man and nature" crystallizes the harmonious concept pursued by the Chinese nation in the human relations and the international relations， embodies the unity between man and nature， the harmony between the moral reason and natural reason， and develops up to the present to emphasize more the harmonious concept it contains， i.e. unity and harmony between man and nature， among man， between man and society， and among counties. Cultural diversity in the human society just as biological diversity in the nature is an objective reality. Only respecting the diversity of culture can human civilizations get development. Coexistence and development of different civilizations fundamentally is attributing to "harmony". This includes peace between nations， harmony among people， and integration between man and nature；50China adheres to the peaceful development road， and never seeks hegemony despite of its development level， and is never engaged in power politics， which is specific embodiment of "developing benevolent governance， and abandoning hegemony rule" as in the ancient times； China attaches importance to hard power growth in economic， military， science and technology and other areas， but also to upgrading soft power in the culture， national spirit， national cohesion and other soft power，which is a modern application and developmentof the doctrine of the golden mean and golden harmony.51Inheritance and development of traditional culture both reflect the Chinese characteristics of the peaceful development road as well as the distinctive features of its conforming to the trend of the times.

Second， China's peaceful development road is the new development of Marxism， and deepens the localizing process of Marxism. Marxism is the most basic guiding ideology of the ruling CPC， and localizing Marxism is to integrate Marx's basic theory with the concrete practice of China. Comrade Deng Xiaoping advocated combining Marxist theory with the era themes of peace and development， and building a peaceful road of socialism with Chinese characteristics. China's peaceful development road for the first time strategically combines peace and development， profoundly manifests era themes of peace and development，meanwhile， integrates China's development direction and line with its goals， and provides a more definitive guidance for the internal and diplomatic affairs. The peaceful development road is an important part of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Adherence to the peaceful development road is the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics，embodies the CPC's innovation and keeping pace with the times on the social development path， and the peaceful development road is a theoretical new development of the CPC's governance strategy， is also a new achievement of Marxism localization in China and its deepening process as well.

Third， China's peaceful development road is enrichment and development of Chinese diplomatic theory and international relations theory， strengthening their characteristics of the times and distinctive Chinese features. Since the founding of new China， along with changing China's international environment and deepening of the domestic reform， Chinese diplomatic theory and international relations theory have gone through a development process from establishment to enrichment， and profoundly manifested the changes of era characteristics， the international architecture as well as national strategy in each period. After the reform and opening-up adopted， the international situation tends to be peaceful and stable， China has also made considerable achievements， Deng Xiaoping's era themes of peace and development have become new connotation of the China's diplomatic theory and the international relations theory， and the adoption and application of peaceful rise， and new security concept give more enrichment to the Chinese diplomaticc theory and international relations theory. At the same time，the Chinese diplomatic theory and international relations theory provide the peaceful development road with a solid theoretical foundation， and have played a theoretical role in the concrete practice， and given impetus to further improve and upgrade it.

Fourth， the adoption of China's peaceful development road provides a theoretical support to eliminate the negative impact of unfavorable public opinion such as "China Threat"， "China Collapse" fallacies in the international community. The new China has always pursued since its inception， The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and independent foreign policy of peace， but in recent years， with growth of China's national strength， the negative public opinion such as "China Threat"， "China Collapse" views has badly affected China's national image and international status， and restrained development of sound bilateral and multilateral relations with various countries. The adoption of China's peaceful development road is the full answer to suspicions about China's development， and powerful blows to the malicious slander by a few countries and individuals in the international community；further clarifies China's development direction，intention and objective. China's development is peaceful development， regardless of the development level， China will never seek hegemony， and is never engaged in power politics. On the road to become strong and prosperous， peaceful development is the need of the Chinese nation， but also its contributions to the world. Only to eliminate the international community's suspicions about China's development， can China better develop and promote peace and development in the world.

China's peaceful development road alsodemonstrates a profound practical significance as follows：

Firstly， the peaceful development road clarifies the strategy for China's future development and provides a directional guidance for China's domestic and diplomatic affairs. The peaceful development road requires that China combine its internal reform with opening up to the outside world， the national peaceful development with the world peaceful development， the fundamental interests of the China and its people with that of various countries and their peoples， and insist on independence and self-reliance， and rely on its national strength and take advantage the peaceful and stable international environment to promote national development through international cooperation， and work together with all countries to promote world peace and prosperity. China is gradually becoming a rising power， but defects of its domestic political and economic systems as well as the pressure of population， resources and other issues are major tests for China's ruling CPC. China in international affairs occupies a more important position than in the past， its diplomatic posture is more active and takes initiative， but it is still difficult to transcend ideological differences and different national interests， which need innovative thinking to settle them.

Secondly， China's peaceful development road is conducive to upgrading China's soft power， thus promotes growth of both soft and hard national power and comprehensive national development. Whether China can get the rise not only depends on its hard power， but also its soft power， the real rise should be soft power and hard power interaction.52

Since the reform and opening up， the rapid growth of China's economy， continuous progress of science and technology， and relative enhancement of military strength constitute the national hard strength foundation， but because of the cultural tradition， ideology， development mode and other factors， China's soft power and hard power are not proportional. The peaceful development road advocates China's commitment to the common development of all countries in the world while developing itself， and making concerted efforts for the cause of world peace， whose process requires the understanding， support and cooperation of all countries.

Third， China's peaceful development road is conducive to enhancing the overall national strength， and achieving magnificent revival of the Chinese nation. The resolution by the Sixth Plenary session of the 16th CPCCC points out that the establishment of new China starts the great rejuvenation of the Chinese civilization on the basis of socialism. Marked by the Third Plenary Session of 11th CPCCC，China has entered a new historical development period， which injects this revival with new vigor and vitality.53The most important way of rejuvenation is to enhance the comprehensive national strength. The peaceful development road is to make use of peaceful and stable international environment to develop，driven by the engine of national efforts and reform and innovation， and through its own development to promote world peace and prosperity. Adherence to the peaceful development road is conducive to the promotion of comprehensive national strength to achieve the goal of enriching people and building the country， and ultimate realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Fourth， China's adherence to the peaceful development road is conducive to healthy development of international trade， and promoting international political and economic order to become more just and rational. The peaceful development road requires China to adhere to the reform and opening up， and provides rich resources and broad market to develop the international trade， China actively participates in international cooperation. The establishment of a fair and reasonable international new political and economic order is an important way to maintain world peace and promote common development. China supports improvement of the international trade and financial system， and promotes trade and investment liberalization and facilitation， and properly handle economic and trade frictions through consultation and cooperation. China neither harms others to benefit herself， nor shifts its troubles onto others. The peacefuldevelopment through peaceful means takes into account the fundamental interests of all countries， and would help to relocate global resources， set up new effective international rules and establish a fair and reasonable international new political and economic order.

Fifthly， China's peaceful development road is conducive to building a beautiful world of lasting peace and common development. China's peaceful development can help stabilize the world situation，can more assure the world of peace， because today's China in the international community is a responsible big country， and an active participant and builder in the course of construction and reform of the international order， and a staunch force to maintain world peace and stability. The peaceful development road requires China to always pursue independent foreign policy of peace， hold high the banner of peace，development and cooperation， adhere to the peripheral diplomacy of friendship and partnership with neighbors， promote equality and cooperation and mutual benefit and reciprocity with all countries， and create a sound domestic and international environment for China's development， and work with all countries to safeguard world peace and achieve common development and prosperity. China， in the spirit of democracy， harmony， fairness and inclusiveness， and adherence to the peaceful development， is in favor of working together with various countries to promote the world peace and common prosperity.

Footnotes：

1.Niu Jun： "On the Foreign Relations of the People's Republic of China"， Diplomatic Review， N3， 2010，pp.59-73.

2.Wang Yizhou， Tan Xiuying， edi， "Sixty Years Of the Chinese Diplomacy （1949-2009）"， Beijing： China Social Sciences Press， 2009， pp.44-45.

3.Xi Jinping， "Promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and Build A Better World With Win-Win Cooperation - the speech at the Conference of Commemorating 60 Anniversary of Establishment of the Five Principles Of Peaceful Coexistence http：//news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-06/28/c_1111364206.htm

4."Deng Xiaoping Selected Works" （Third Volumes）， Beijing： People's Publishing House， 1993 edition， p.105，

5.Zheng Bijian： "the Course of Thinking -- on the Origin， Basis， Connotation And Prospect Of China's Peaceful Development Road"， Beijing， Party School Press of the CPC Central Committee， 2006， pp.1-2.

6.Huang Renwei： "International System Transformation and China's Peaceful Development Road"， Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping Theories Studies， 2006， No.5， pp.5-13.

7.Zheng Bijian，"A New Road of China's Peaceful Rise and Asia's Prospect"， Learning Times， November 24， 2003，p.1.

8.General Secretary Hu Jintao's important speech at the Conference in Commemoration of the110th birthday of Comrade Mao Zedong，http：//www.gov.cn/test/2009-11/27/content_1474642.htm.

9.Hu Jintao： "China's Development， Asia's Opportunity"，http：//www.gmw.cn/01gmrb/2004-04/25/content_17425.htm

10.Wen Jiabao： 2005 Government Work Report， http：//www.gov.cn/test/2006-02/16/content_201218.htm

11.The State Council Information Office of China： "China's Peaceful Development Road，" the white paper，http：//news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2005-12/22/content_3954937.htm

12"Adhering to the road of peaceful development and promoting the building of a harmonious world"，http：//news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2006-08/23/content _4999339.htm

13.The Historical Decision of the CPC Central Committee on a Number Of Major Issues Concerning the Construction of Socialist Harmonious Society"，http：//cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64093/64094/4932424.html

14.General Secretary Hu Jintao's Report to the 17th CPC National Congress http：//news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2007-10/24 /content_6938568.htm

15.State Council Information Office of China， "China's National Defense 2010 " White Paper.. http：//www.gov.cn/jrzg/2011-03/31/content_1835289.htm

16.The State Council Information Office of China： "China's Peaceful Development" white paper ".

17.Hu Jintao， "Unswervingly Follow the Path of Socialism With Chinese Characteristics to Vigorously Build a Moderate Prosperous Society in All Aspects -- The report to the 18th CPC National Congress （November 8， 2012），Beijing： People's Press， 2012， p.48.

18.Xi Jinping's speech at the University of International Relations in Moscow，http：//news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-03/24/c_124495576.htm

19.Premier Li Keqiang's Government Work Report to the Second Session of the 12th National People's Congress"，http：//www.chinanews.com/gn/2014/03-05/5912684.shtml

20.Zhang Liwen， "the Theory of Harmony" （Volume I）， Beijing： China's Renmin University Press， 2006， p.276.

21.Ibid.， pp.375-376.

22.Ibid.，pp. 276-280.

23.Huang Renwei， "To Better Understand China Through the 'China Studies' "， Social Observation， No.12， 2010. P.6.

24.Fang Keli， edi.： "Introduction to Chinese Culture"， Beijing： Beijing Normal University Press， 1994，pp.377-380.

25.bid. p.379.

26.Yu Yingshi， "Modern Interpretation Of Chinese Traditional Thinking"， Nanjing： Jiangsu People's Press， 2003， p.20.

27.Xiong Fei， "On the Peaceful Development Road in China"， Nanchang University， 2007.

28.The State Council Information Office of China， "China's Peaceful Development Road" the White Paper.

29.Ibid.

30.While attaining China's growing national strength， a widespread concern of the international community is whether the peaceful diplomacy is a matter of expediency for China or a long-term strategic policy. It should be noted that China's peaceful development road coincides with the times， and shows to the world that China's national development strategy and the security strategy， the current era requirements and the development momentum of globalization all decide that China must pursue peaceful diplomatic strategy. See Gong Li， etc.："Peace is Priority： the History And Reality of China's Foreign Strategy"， Beijing： Jiuzhou Press， 2007，pp.363-365.

31.Zheng Bijian， "The Course of Thinking -- on the Origin， Basis， Connotation and Prospect of China's Peaceful Development Road， p.291.

32.Ibid. p.147， pp.291-292.

33.Men Honghua， "Open And National Strategic System"， Beijing： People's Press， 2008， Introduction.

34.Zheng Bijian： “the Course of Thinking -- On the Origin， Basis， Connotation and Prospect of China's Peaceful Development Road“， pp.2-3.

35.President Hu Jintao speech at welcome dinner in London http：//politics.people.com.cn /GB/1024/3845882.html

36.Dai Bingguo， "China Unswervingly Takes the Peaceful Development Road"， International Studies， N.6， 2011，pp.1-4.

37.General Secretary Hu Jintao's Report to the 17th CPC National Congress.

38.General Secretary Hu Jintao's Report to the 18th CPC National Congress， Beijing： People's Publishing House，2012， p48.

39.Men Honghua， "Opening Up and National Strategic System"， p.9.

40.Xu Shan，"Peaceful Development： China's Confidence and Commitment -- A Theoretical Study of China's Peaceful Development Road Since the 16th CPC National Congress"， Party Literature， No. 5， 2011， pp.100-106.

41.General Secretary Hu Jintao's Report to 18th CPC National Congress， November 8， 2012.

42.http：//www.gov.cn/2011lh/content _1825838_2.htm _1825838_2.htm http：//www.gov.cn/2011lh/content

43.The State Council Information Office of China， "China's Peaceful Development" white paper.

44.Yang Jiechi speech，http：//www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_chn/zyxw_602251/t1235255.shtml

45.The State Council Information Office of China： "China's Peaceful Development" white paper.

46.Xi Jinping clarifies the bottom line of China's peaceful development principles，http：//news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-01/30/c_114560069.htm.

47.The State Council Information Office of China： "China's peaceful development" white paper.

48.Ibid.

49.Wang Yi， "In 2014， China's Style Diplomacy in Action"，http：//www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_chn/zyxw_602251/t122

50.Qin Yaqing， "Harmonious World： New Concept Of Chinese Diplomacy"， Front， No.12， 2006， pp.30-32.

51.Wang Yi， "Some Observations on the Traditional Cultural Roots of China's Peaceful Development Strategy --From the Perspective of Confucian Ethics on State-to-State Relations"， the Journal of Guizhou Normal University，No.2， 2006， pp.12-17.

52.Men Honghua， "Introduction to China's International Strategy"， p.63.

53."Communique of the Sixth Plenary Session of 16th CPCCC"，http：//www.southcn.com/nflr/llzhuanti /lzqh /toutiao/200610240193.htm