To promote the common cause of peace and development

Photo taken on Sept. 14, 2020 shows the outside view of the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"We should vigorously advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, and work together to provide the right guiding philosophy for building a better world," said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct. 25.

He made the remarks when attending a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China In the UN in Beijing. What he said fully demonstrated the major country responsibility of China.

Philosophy points direction for progress, and thoughts decide what actions shall be taken. Today's world is facing changes unseen in a century, and to build a better world is a common pursuit of all countries.

The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by Xi has charted the course for the building of the better world. At the General Debate of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2015, the Chinese President for the first time put forward the concept that peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom are the common values of all mankind and the lofty goals of the UN.

Ever since, he has expounded on the concept on multiple important bilateral and multilateral occasions, which reflects China's commitment to and practice of the common values of all mankind. The concept mirrors the common causes, ideals and pursuits of people from across the world, and is the greatest synergy of different countries, nations and civilizations. It is more and more recognized and supported around the globe.

Peace and development are ultimate hopes of mankind, as well as a theme of today's world. Peace is like air and sunshine that benefit the world in a silent way. However, without them, the world can barely survive. To protect peace, something more precious than gold, is a responsibility that shall be taken by every country. Development holds the master key to solving all problems, and is an important premise for enhancing human wellbeing. Without development, there's no foundation for peace. The results of a country's development benefit the rest of the world when the country takes care of the reasonable concerns of other countries as it seeks its own interests, and when it promotes common development of the world through its own development.

President Xi's diplomacy reflects China's profound thinking on and practical actions of building a world that enjoys lasting peace and common prosperity.

"The sunshine of peace, development and progress will be powerful enough to penetrate the clouds of war, poverty and backwardness." "Pass on the torch of peace from generation to generation, sustain development and make civilization flourish: this is what people of all countries long for; it is also the responsibility statesmen of our generation ought to shoulder." President Xi has repeatedly showcased his broad mind to establish a world of common prosperity. He takes the aspiration for a better world of the people around the globe as a goal, and calls on all parties to promote peace and development.

The founding of the UN was a milestone in humanity's pursuit of peace and development. The restoration of China's lawful seat in the UN has made the force for world peace and development stronger than ever before.

Over the past 50 years, the Chinese people have stood in solidarity and cooperation with people around the world and upheld international equity and justice, contributing significantly to world peace and development. The commitment to the path of peaceful development made by China, a country with 1.4 billion people, as well as its efforts to pool resources and concentrate on managing its own affairs well, are indeed a major contribution made by the country to world peace and development.

The Chinese people are peace-loving people and know well the value of peace and stability. They have unswervingly followed an independent foreign policy of peace, stood firm for fairness and justice, and resolutely opposed hegemony and power politics. The Chinese people are a strong supporter of other developing countries in their just struggle to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests. The Chinese people are committed to achieving common development. From the Tazara Railway to the Belt and Road Initiative, they have done what they could to help other developing countries, and have offered the world new opportunities through their own development.

Just as Xi stressed when meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres via video link on Oct. 25, an important experience from the 50 years of cooperation between China and the UN is that China should hold fast to the UN ideals, stay committed to multilateralism, and earnestly contribute to world peace and development.

Amidst changing international circumstances and facing frequent global challenges, all countries should take peace and development as a common cause. They need to strengthen solidarity, not create estrangement; they need to advance cooperation, not provoke conflicts.

Standing at a new starting point of history, China is willing to work with the rest of the world to vigorously advance the common values of humanity, and make greater contributions to the common cause of peace and development, and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.