BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping
on Monday expounded on China's stance over how to improve
multilateralism against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and world
economic recession, when attending his first international virtual
gathering in 2021. "Every choice and move we make today will shape the world
of the future," said Xi in his special address at the World Economic
Forum (WEF) Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda. Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the World Economic Forum (WEF)
Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda and delivers a special address via
video link in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Li
Xueren) REJECTING SELECTIVE MULTILATERALISM Noting that the problems facing the world are intricate and
complex, Xi said that the way out of them is "through upholding
multilateralism and building a community with a shared future for
mankind." "Multilateralism is about having international affairs addressed
through consultation and the future of the world decided by everyone
working together," Xi said. The Chinese president called on the international community to say
no to narrow-minded, selfish beggar-thy-neighbor policies, and stop
unilateral practice of keeping advantages in development all to oneself. "Multilateralism should not be used as pretext for acts
of unilateralism. Principles should be preserved and rules, once made,
should be followed by all," Xi said. "Decision should not be made by simply showing off strong muscles
or waving a big fist," he said, adding that "selective multilateralism
should not be our option." Each country is unique with its own history, culture and social
system, and none is superior to the other, he said, reiterating that "no
two leaves in the world are identical, and no histories, cultures or
social systems are the same." "State-to-state relations should be coordinated and regulated
through proper institutions and rules. The strong should not bully the
weak," he said. Moreover, he said scientific and technological advances should
benefit all humanity rather than be used to curb and contain other
countries' development. Xi urged abandoning arrogance and isolation mindsets,
saying that "we have been shown time and again that to beggar thy
neighbor, to go it alone, and to slip into arrogant isolation will
always fail. Chinese medical team experts and Italian doctors pose for a photo in
Padua, Italy, March 18, 2020. (Chinese Medical Team/Handout via Xinhua) LOOKING TO FUTURE TO UPHOLD MULTILATERALISM Xi noted that multilateral institutions provide the platforms for
putting multilateralism into action and are the basic architecture
underpinning multilateralism, saying that their authority and
effectiveness should be safeguarded. He called on the international community to stay committed to
openness and inclusiveness, to international law and international
rules, to consultation and cooperation, and to keeping up with the times
instead of rejecting change. "History and reality have made it clear, time and again, that the
misguided approach of antagonism and confrontation, be it in the form of
cold war, hot war, trade war or tech war, would eventually hurt all
countries' interests and undermine everyone's well-being," he said. "To uphold multilateralism in the 21st century, we should
promote its fine tradition, take on new perspectives and look to the
future. We need to stand by the core values and basic principles of
multilateralism. We also need to adapt to the changing international
landscape and respond to global challenges as they arise. We need to
reform and improve the global governance system on the basis of
extensive consultation and consensus-building," he said. Xi urged to give full play to the role of the World
Health Organization in building a global community of health for all,
and to advance reform of the World Trade Organization and the
international financial and monetary system in a way that boosts global
economic growth and protects the development rights, interests and
opportunities of developing countries. Photo taken on July 15, 2020 shows the exterior view of the World
Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo by
Li Ye/Xinhua) Adriano Lucatelli, co-founder and managing director of
Descartes Finance, which is a leading Swiss digital wealth management
company, told Xinhua that he expected China to continue to push for
multilateralism to find global solutions for an after-pandemic world and
wished China to take a leading role in fostering global cooperation. CHINA'S CONCRETE ACTS IN PROMOTING MULTILATERALISM More than 2,000 business, government and civil society
leaders and over 20 heads of state or government are set to meet
virtually for the WEF Davos Agenda to tackle the fallout from the
COVID-19 pandemic and address the urgent need for global cooperation. The Davos Agenda 2021 was scheduled to convene from Jan. 25 to 29 under the theme "A Crucial Year to Rebuild Trust." In his speech, Xi elaborated China's pledge in five aspects to
promote multilateralism and common prosperity, including taking an
active part in international cooperation on the fight against COVID-19,
implementing a win-win strategy of opening-up, promoting sustainable
development, advancing science, technology and innovation, and promoting
a new type of international relations. Statistics showed that China's GDP exceeded the
100-trillion-yuan (15.42 trillion U.S. dollars) threshold in 2020 and is
expected to be the only major economy to post growth in the
pandemic-ravaged year. Aerial photo taken on Jan. 14, 2021 shows the container terminal of
Qinzhou Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
(Xinhua/Cao Yiming) "As China enters a new development stage, we will follow a new
development philosophy and foster a new development paradigm with
domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international
circulations reinforcing each other," Xi said. "Zero-sum game or winner-takes-all is not the guiding philosophy
of the Chinese people. As a staunch follower of an independent foreign
policy of peace, China is working hard to pursue friendly and
cooperative relations with other countries," he said. Xi said China will get more actively engaged in global economic
governance and push for an economic globalization that is more open,
inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all. As people in the world now cope with the current crisis
and endeavor to make a better day for everyone, Xi said the
international community needs to "stand united and work together,"
stressing that people should "let multilateralism light our way toward a
community with a shared future for mankind."
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