China's Vital Role in the lnternational Arena

China's Vital Role in the lnternational Arena

China has been active in the international arena since the second half of 2015，its leaders having made frequent trips to foreign countries. In late September，President Xi Jinping visited the U.S. and attended the 70th Session of United Nations General Assembly，so drawing the attention of international society as a whole. In late October，President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the U.K.，so opening a “golden age” of China-U.K. relations. During their various foreign visits，Chinese leaders have expounded on international relations through the lens of Chinese wisdom. They thus introduced China's path of development to the world and promoted global peace and development.

During his visit to the UN Headquarters in New York，President Xi Jinping raised a series of measures that China has taken on different occasions，including the UN Sustainable Development Summit，the Global Summit of Women，a roundtable on South-South Cooperation，and a high-level general debate of the General Assembly，to promote world peace and development and a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation. The measures that China takes are not solely about macro-development concepts to deal with global challenges，but about providing public goods and services benefcial to China and the rest of the world.

To create a community of common destiny for all humankind，China proposes forging a partnership on both international and regional levels，and embracing a new approach to state-to-state relations that features dialogue rather than confrontation，and partnership instead of alliance. Major countries should follow the principles of non-confict，nonconfrontation，mutual respect，and win-win cooperation in handling their relations； big countries should treat small ones as equals and take a balanced approach to pursuing justice and interests，putting justice before interests.

When talking about China's development pathway，Xi said that China will always be a contributor to world development and adhere to the path of common development. All countries are welcome aboard the train of China's development. As the world's biggest developing country and second largest economy，China has taken several practical actions. They include expanding assistance and investment，reducing and exempting debt，establishing an international development knowledge center，facilitating interconnection of electric power infrastructure，and sharing the fruits of its development and experience with other developing countries.

Xi Jinping made a pledge at the UN Sustainable Development Summit that China will establish an assistance fund for South-South Cooperation，increase investment in the least developed countries，and also exempt them，landlocked developing countries，and small island developing nations from repayments of intergovernmental interest-free loans due by the end of 2015. Xi also announced that China will donate US $10 million to UN Women.

In the past 15 years，the millennium development goal of reducing extreme poverty rates by half has been achieved. Credit for this goes mainly to China's economic growth. China will stand side by side with other developing countries and frmly support the effort to expand their representativeness and voice，particularly African countries，in the international governance system.

Meanwhile，China will always be an upholder of international order and continue to safeguard the international system with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter at its core.

Xi Jinping announced that China intends to establish a 10-year，US $1 billion China-UN Peace and Development Fund to support the UN's work and promote multilateral cooperation. China will join the new UN peacekeeping capability readiness system，take the lead in setting up a permanent peacekeeping police squad，and build an 8，000-strong standby peacekeeping force. China has also made the decision to provide US $100 million in free military assistance to the African Union over the next fve years to support the establishment of the African Standby Force and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis. In the coming fve years，China will train 2，000 peacekeepers for all countries and launch 10 mine-sweeping assistance programs.

During the past 25 years since 1990 when China first participated in UN peacekeeping tasks，China has been a frm supporter and active participator in UN peacekeeping operations. Among the fve permanent members of the UN Security Council China has dispatched the highest number of peacekeepers. In future，China will continue to fulfll its responsibility as a big country and proactively participate in UN peacekeeping tasks to promote reforms to the UN peacekeeping operation and make greater contributions to safeguarding world peace and development.

As a world engine for economic growth，China has made its pledge and will keep its word，with the aim of promoting the world development agenda and achieving more fairness，inclusiveness and sustainability. China's development not only benefts developing countries，but also helps to establish international relations oriented towards win-win cooperation rather than a zero-sum game.

HOU RUILI