Fresh vision spurs growth, cooperation

President Xi Jinping has led China to demonstrate its renewed commitment and lay out fresh policy blueprints at various diplomatic events this year to help spur global recovery, shore up solidarity and keep multilateralism afloat.

These efforts, introducing new ideas to address pressing issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and inequitable growth, have served as part of the constant evolution of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, showing China's great sense of duty as a major developing country, officials and experts said.

A book on studying the Thought was published on Monday to present China's innovative philosophy on foreign policy and diplomacy since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The Thought is a fundamental premise for diplomacy in the new era and a guide for action, officials said.

Since the start of this year, Xi has worked on a packed diplomatic schedule to advance cooperation and consolidate consensus through a wide range of diplomatic events, contributing fresh ideas and initiatives to the Thought.

As of Monday, Xi had attended 11 key multilateral or bilateral meetings via video link this year.

In the same period, he had 50 phone conversations with 49 heads of state, government chiefs or directors of international agencies.

To further advance cloud diplomacy, he also joined more than 50 events in ways such as delivering video speeches, sending messages or writing letters.

In particular, he addressed a number of major economic gatherings and summits to shore up global efforts in pressing for economic recovery amid the pandemic.

Such events included the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda in January and the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in April.

He also called for advancing international vaccine cooperation, especially the fair distribution of vaccines to developing nations, to help build a community with a shared future for mankind.

New updates of policies on foreign affairs and international economic cooperation were set out as the president took part in such events.

Deepening regional economic integration, catching up with the opportunities unleashed by global technological innovation and advancing the construction of the Belt and Road were among the key propositions made by the president at such events.

To further develop the Belt and Road Initiative, he has on several occasions cited the need to advance quality growth of the Belt and Road and make BRI routes into "a path to poverty reduction "and "a path to growth" in order to contribute to the common prosperity of the whole of humankind.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said Xi's latest wisdom and remarks "address global challenges as well as how to advance common development amid the pandemic, showing a major country's efforts in honoring its role and duty on the global stage".

Behind these new policy initiatives are China's commitment to multilateralism, justice and equity, which are winning international recognition and respect, and have enriched Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, Ruan added.

Citing China's need to further follow the constantly evolving Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said "actions and practice must be guided by ideas and theories".

As guided by the Thought, the country's diplomatic service has built on a global network of partnerships and offered China's contribution to reforming and advancing the global governance system, Wang said at a regular news conference on June 30.

"A new landscape" has been explored under the Thought's guidance for China's opening-up and win-win cooperation with countries around the world, said Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

China had built partnerships with 108 countries and four regional organizations, and the BRI, first proposed by Xi, has been translated into reality as "a widely acclaimed international public good", Yang said in an article in People's Daily last month.

Global welfare in mind

Yang noted that as a part of Xi's Thought, the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind "bears great significance and is needed in practice "given pressing global challenges such as the pandemic and climate change.

Following his call made last year to build a global community of health for all, Xi proposed the concept of jointly building a community of life for man and nature when addressing the Leaders Summit on Climate in April.

At the same event, he unveiled the country's ambition to peak its carbon emissions as of 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

These announcements "are a testament to China's great sense of duty as a major country", Yang said.

Over the course of this year, Xi renewed China's commitment to multilateralism as a keyword of the country's diplomacy when he addressed several major events, including the ceremony celebrating the Communist Party of China's centenary on July 1.

"We will continue to champion cooperation over confrontation, to open up rather than closing our doors, and to focus on mutual benefits instead of zero-sum games," said Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Xi's speeches and remarks have been promoting multilateralism, endorsing consultation among countries on an equal footing, and opposing a Cold-War era confrontational mindset, said State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

These comments "injected positivity into the world that is clouded by instability and uncertainties and have charted new ground for the theory and practice of multilateralism", Wang said in an article in Study Times newspaper last month.