CHINA has declared itself to the rest of the world on many occasions that it takes a path of peaceful development and is committed to upholding world peace and promoting common development and prosperity for all countries.
At the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century and on the occasion of the 103th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China declared solemnly again to the world that peaceful development is a strategic choice to realise modernisation, make itself strong and prosperous, including contributing to the progress of human civilisation.
The Chinese civilisation has a unique feature of being enduring, inclusive and open.
The Chinese nation has endeavoured to learn from other nations and improved itself through centuries of interactions with the rest of the world, making major contribution to the progress of human civilisation. In the mid-19th century, internal turmoil and foreign aggression gradually turned China into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.
The country became poor and weak and the people suffered from wars and chaos.
Facing imminent danger of national subjugation, one generation of patriots after another fought hard to find a way to reform and save their nation. The Revolution of 1911 put an end to the system of monarchy that had ruled China for several thousand years and inspired the Chinese people to struggle for independence and prosperity.
However, such efforts and struggle failed to change the nature of China as a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, or lift the Chinese people out of misery. Living up to the people’s expectation, the CPC led them in carrying out arduous struggle and finally founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
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This marked the realisation of China’s independence and liberation of its people and ushered in a new epoch in China’s history.
In the past seven decades since the founding of New China and particularly since the introduction of the reform and opening-up policies in 1978, the Chinese government has worked hard to explore a path of socialist modernisation that conforms to China’s conditions and the trend of the times.
Overcoming difficulties and setbacks, the Chinese people have advanced with the times, drawn on both experience and lessons from the development of China itself and other countries, deepened understanding of the laws governing the development of human society and promoted the self-improvement and growth of the socialist system.
Through arduous struggle, the Chinese people have succeeded in finding a path of development conforming to China’s reality, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Through its socialism with Chinese characteristics, China has developed itself through upholding peace, including contributing to world peace through its own development. It has achieved development with its own efforts and by carrying out reform and innovation. On top of that, China has also opened itself to the outside world and learns from other countries.
Through this process, China has been cooperating with other countries in building a harmonious world of durable peace and common prosperity. In building its sustainable development, China has taken the Scientific Outlook on Development as an important principle guiding its economic and social development.
In this regard, China puts people first, promotes comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development. In putting people first, the Chinese government always respects human rights and human values of its people and all people of the world, and promotes prosperity for all.
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To ensure that its focus is not swayed, it has formulated many principles and guidelines to ensure that people’s rights are protected and emphasises on countries to work for people.
In striving to advance the all-round development of man, China is ensuring that development is for the people and by the people, with people sharing its fruits. In this aspect, China has also been providing various development aid, financial support and technical assistance to developing countries including African nations.
In addition to that, it has come up with initiatives such as Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Global Development Initiative (GDI), aiming at fostering development to the global community.
From their bitter sufferings from war and poverty in modern times, the Chinese people have learned the value of peace and the pressing need of development. They believe that only peace can allow people to live and work in prosperity and contentment and that only development can bring decent living to people.
Cognisant with this fact, China has been at the forefront urging countries to maintain peace, emphasising the use of diplomatic means to reconcile and resolving disputes. To make sure that world peace is achieved, it had introduced the Global Security Initiative (GSI) which provides guidance on how to manage and resolve local, region and international disputes and end differences.
Therefore, the central goal of China’s diplomacy is to create a peaceful and stable international environment for its development. In the meantime, it strives to make its due contribution to world peace and development.
To assure the world that it is committed for peaceful development, China has never engaged in any aggression or expansion, never seeks hegemony, and it has remained a staunch force for upholding regional and world peace and stability. In a cooperative development, China uses cooperation as a way to pursue peace, promote development and settle disputes.
It seeks to establish and develop cooperative relationships of different forms with other countries and effectively meet growing global challenges by constantly expanding mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries.
The second largest economy in the world works with the communities to solve major problems that affect world economic development and human survival and progress. In fostering common development, China follows a strategy of mutual benefit. It has pursued both its own interests and the common interests of mankind and works to ensure that its own development and the development of other countries are mutually reinforcing, thus promoting the common development of all countries.
China has been sincerely working with other countries to realise common development and prosperity.
Thanks to its pursuit of peaceful development, China has under-gone profound changes. It has made remarkable achievements in development, made major contribution to world prosperity and stability and is more closely linked with the rest of the world. In addition, China provides assistance to other countries and regions as its capacity permits.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, between 2000 and 2019, China has cancelled at least 3.4 billion US dollars in debts to heavily indebted poor and least-developed African countries.
It has also provided scholarships and various training to more than 200,000 African people. And over the past 60 years, China has dispatched medical professionals to over 76 countries and regions worldwide, providing medical care to over 290 million patients.
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In helping African countries increase their products export, the Chinese government has granted zero tariff treatment to a number of goods, especially some agricultural products and crops to all the least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with the Asian giant nation.
Tariffs cancellation has helped African countries increase their export volume and ensure steady growth in China-Africa agricultural trade. In safeguarding world peace, China has dispatched about 50,000 personnel to more than 30 UN peacekeeping missions, which is the highest number among the permanent members of the UN Security Council.
In addition to that, China provides humanitarian aid and dispatches rescue teams to countries hit by severe natural disasters and deploys naval escort fleets to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. In emphasising peace, China has been proactively engaging in bilateral and multilateral security dialogues with nations worldwide. It has played a constructive role in addressing international and regional hotspot problems.
For instance, it calls for resolving the Korean nuclear issue, the Iranian nuclear issue, Ukraine crisis, Palestine-Israel conflict and other hotspot issues through peaceful talks. Since the reform and opening-up policies were introduced in 1978, China has been an important member of the international community which has contributed its due share to bringing about a more just and equitable international political and economic order.
(The writer is a Dar es Salaam-based analyst on international politics and foreign relations. Email: cleophacegeorge@gmail.com)
