FM: Diplomacy to bolster teamwork with Central Asia, BRI countries

China will host two major diplomatic events at home this year — the first China-Central Asia Summit and the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Foreign Minister Qin Gang announced on Tuesday.

Chinese diplomats will follow the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, and in particular will ensure the success of the two major diplomatic events, Qin said at a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual two sessions.

These events "will be the showcase of the distinctive character of China's diplomacy", he said.

Envisioning China's diplomatic policy this year, Qin said, "We've pressed the 'acceleration button', and sounded the clarion call for our diplomacy."

"We will take it as our mission to defend China's interests. We firmly oppose any form of hegemonism and power politics."

"We firmly oppose the Cold War mentality, camp-based confrontation, and acts to contain and hold back other countries' development. We will resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests," he added.

China will build on its extensive partnerships, Qin said. "We will pursue coordination and sound interactions among major countries, seek friendship and cooperation with other countries, and promote a new type of international relations."

"China has had a growing network of friends, made more and more new friends, and strengthened ties with old ones," he added.

Beijing will take openness and development as its objective, and will facilitate high-quality development and high-standard opening up, he said.

"We will reject 'decoupling' and oppose severing industrial and supply chains and imposing unilateral sanctions. We will uphold an open and inclusive world economy and will generate new opportunities for the world with our new development," he said.

China "will take multilateralism as the way forward", will promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, promote greater democracy in international relations, and make global governance more just and equitable.

"We will offer more, better Chinese insight and solutions to help meet humanity's common challenges," he added.

Prior to taking questions from reporters, Qin said in his opening remarks that, "As the world is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, China will continue to pursue the independent foreign policy of peace, and will continue to implement the mutually beneficial strategy of opening up."

"China will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order," he added.