Friendly coexistence

The ongoing annual meetings of the country's top legislature and political advisory body will complete a once-in-a-decade leadership transition this week by appointing top government officeholders. For those who are eager to learn about the new leadership's diplomatic strategy options, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's news conference, held on the sidelines of the two parallel sessions on Saturday, could provide a useful prism.

Yang talked at length about how China sees its interactions with the rest of the world, touching upon almost all the bilateral and multilateral ties China has with major regional and global partners, including Russia, the United States and neighboring countries, and reiterated its commitment to maintaining them.

Yang's deliberation shows China is sincere about sharing its vision with its foreign partners and maintaining smooth communication with them on major issues. This is important as it facilitates mutual understanding and helps avert any misjudgments.

According to Yang, actively participating in international affairs and contributing to the building of the international system are priorities in the diplomatic strategy of China's new leaders. It is reasonable to believe that China's new leadership will continue to maintain a high profile in various regional and global platforms, which are good venues for China to explain its viewpoint on hot issues and forge stronger friendships.

With China's economy expanding in recent years, there has been a great deal of anticipation, and even suspicion, about how China will project its power. But much of the unfavorable sentiments about China have stemmed from misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

The continuity in China's diplomacy and its long-term commitments to resolving differences and thorny issues through dialogue and negotiation are essential to driving home the message that China remains a reliable force for maintaining peace and stability, both regionally and globally.

The country has pledged to shoulder international responsibilities commensurate with its development status and be a responsible cooperative partner on the world stage.

Such diplomatic orientation is imbedded in the country's need to cultivate a favorable environment for domestic development. Given the complicated and sometimes worrying regional and global trends, China's pledge to seek friendly ties with other countries is certainly good news for all.

In state-to-state relations, there are few differences that cannot be overcome as long as there is a shared commitment to peaceful coexistence.

(China Daily 03/12/2013 page9)