Compiled by IKENNA EMEWU
Last week at the on-going Chinese annual legislative session, the country’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Wang Yi addressed the world press during which he elucidated on a litany of diplomatic issues touching on the totality of China’s relationship with the whole world.
Issues he spoke about included how China approaches its contribution to global economy, global peace, globalisation, fights against isolationism, works for the respect for all countries, the protection of the weaker nations and the pursuit of every idea for a gain all humanity would share from.
The responses the top and seasoned diplomat gave offhanded on all the issues were a test of his grasp of global issues.
Wang, China’s FM since 2013 has come a long way, sleeping and waking up to world affairs, shuttling the whole world to market the interest of his country and those of friendly countries.
The barrage of questions from 23 media groups cutting across the whole world encapsulated what China has been doing in the past years and its plans for the current year in diplomacy.
ACE Magazine takes snippets from the responses that can be properly called the most extensive discussion of global issues by any government in 2025.
China and the world
The three monumental events that China hosted last year, i.e., the conference marking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, set a new benchmark of the Global South joining hands for common progress. The four overseas visits by President Xi to Europe, Central Asia, BRICS and Latin America generated new dynamism for global solidarity and cooperation. President Xi also hosted many leaders and friends from foreign countries in more than 130 diplomatic engagements
China and Russia
No matter how the international landscape evolves, the historical logic of China-Russia friendship will not change and its internal driving force will not diminish. Last year marked the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations. President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin had three face-to-face meetings, jointly steering the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era into a new historical stage.
The world
We will be a just and righteous force for world peace and stability. We will continue to expand our global partnerships featuring equality, openness and cooperation, actively use the Chinese approach in resolving hot-spot issues, and write a new chapter of the Global South seeking strength through unity. We will prove with facts that the path of peaceful development is bright and can ensure stable and sustainable progress, and that it should be the choice of all countries. We will be a progressive force for international fairness and justice.
USA and global diplomacy
There are more than 190 countries in the world. Should everyone stress “my country first” and obsess over a position of strength, the law of the jungle would reign in the world again. Smaller and weaker countries would bear the brunt first, and international norms and order would take a body blow.
Mutual respect is a basic norm governing state-to-state relations. It is also an important prerequisite for China-U.S. relations. No country should fantasize that it can suppress China and maintain good relations with China at the same time. Such two-faced acts are not good for the stability of bilateral relations, or for building mutual trust.
Global South
The hallmark of our era is the prominent, growing strength of the Global South. Accounting for over 40 percent of global GDP and contributing as high as 80 percent of global growth, the Global South is a key force for maintaining world peace, driving world development, and improving global governance. The Global South holds the key to bringing stability to the world and making it a better place. BRICS is emerging as a backbone of cooperation and an engine of growth in the Global South. The greater BRICS should be made bigger and stronger to give more momentum to the development of the Global South.
Last November, President Xi Jinping announced eight actions China would take in support of global development, generating new energy for faster Global South development. We should keep development as a central international agenda item, build up the momentum, enhance our capacity, and advance hand in hand toward modernization.
Ukraine
President Xi Jinping put forth four points on what must be done, an important proposition pointing out the way for our efforts. Hence, China released its position paper on the crisis, sent its special representative for shuttle diplomacy, and initiated the Group of Friends for Peace at the United Nations together with Brazil and other Global South countries. Our stance has always been objective and impartial, our voice has always been calm and balanced and our purpose is to create conditions and build consensus for resolving the crisis.
Artificial Intelligence
Science and technology should not be used to put up an iron curtain. It should be the wealth that benefits all and is shared by all. To promote common development of humanity, China has taken real measures to implement the Global AI Governance Initiative put forth by President Xi Jinping, and released the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All. We have also proposed the Initiative on International Cooperation in Open Science together with Brazil, South Africa and the African Union, calling on all to give priority to scientific and technological capacity-building of the Global South so that no country is left behind.
SCO
As the rotating president, China is putting together more than 100 events in political, security, economic and people-to-people fields under the slogan of “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move.” We will take real actions to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit and promote SCO development.
I would like to let you know that China will host the SCO summit in Tianjin this autumn
United Nations
Some countries have voiced scepticism of one kind or another about the U.N. But China believes that the more complex the problems, the greater the need to accentuate the important status of the U.N.; the more pressing the challenges, the greater the need to uphold the due authority of the U.N.
All countries want to prevent the world from returning to the law of the jungle. To this end, the first thing to do is to cement the cornerstone of sovereign equality. All countries, regardless of their size and strength, should be recognized as equal members of the international community.
Gaza
Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people. It is an inseparable part of the Palestinian territory. Changing its status by forceful means will not bring about peace, but only new chaos. We support the plan for restoring peace in Gaza initiated by Egypt and other Arab countries. The will of the people must not be defied, and the principle of justice must not be abandoned. If some major country truly cares about the people in Gaza, it should promote comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, ramp up humanitarian assistance, observe the principle of Palestinians governing Palestine, and contribute to the reconstruction in Gaza.
China is a strategic partner of Middle East countries and a sincere friend of our Arab brothers. We will continue to strive resolutely for justice, peace and development for the Middle East people, and support countries in the region in taking their future in their own hands, independently exploring their development paths, and realizing the dream of peace and revitalization at an early date.
Africa
This year marks the 25th anniversary of FOCAC. Over the past 25 years, China has helped Africa build or upgrade nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads, and more than 10,000 kilometers of railways. In the past three years alone, Chinese enterprises created more than 1.1 million new jobs in Africa. China has remained Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. To African brothers and sisters, China-Africa cooperation is visible, tangible and truly beneficial. Last year, a Gambian farmer sent a bag of rice he grew all the way to Hunan Province in China to show respect to Yuan Longping, the father of hybrid rice. It is China’s hybrid rice that has helped end hunger and bring hope to them. Stories like these are happening in Africa every day.
China pursues strategic and structured diplomacy based on needs and targets. The major challenge of Africa is poverty and the need for economic lift. That has been the major focus of China in relating with Africa. That should be the basis of meaningful international diplomatic engagement that aims to be fruitful needful.
Taiwan
Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is the history and the reality. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the recovery of Taiwan. Eight decades ago, the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression put Taiwan back under China’s sovereign jurisdiction. Both the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, issued by major victorious nations of WWII, stated in explicit terms that Taiwan is a territory that Japan had stolen from the Chinese, and shall be restored to China. Japan also accepted the terms of the Potsdam Proclamation and announced its unconditional surrender. All these have confirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan, and formed an important part of the post-WWII international order.
Seeking “Taiwan independence” is doomed to backfire, and using Taiwan to contain China will be nothing but a futile attempt. China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable.
China and neighbours
Asia is where China calls home and builds its future. It is also the common home for China and fellow Asian countries. Following the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness on neighborhood diplomacy put forward by President Xi Jinping, China has opened up new prospects in developing friendship and cooperation with its neighbors. To date, China has reached common understanding on building a community with a shared future with 17 neighboring countries, and formed “two clusters” in the Indochina Peninsula and Central Asia. In our neighborhood, we have signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 25 countries, and remained the largest trading partner of 18 countries. You mentioned U.S. deployment of mid-range capability missile system in the region. China is firmly opposed to such an attempt, and it is not welcomed by regional countries either. Years have passed since the United States released its “Indo-Pacific Strategy,” but what has it done for regional countries? Nothing, except for stirring up troubles and creating disputes.
China and EU
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the China-EU diplomatic ties. In this half-century-long relationship, the most valuable asset is mutual respect, the most powerful impetus is mutual benefit, the greatest unifying consensus is multilateralism, and the most accurate characterization is cooperation partner.
Over the past five decades, China-EU cooperation has come a long way. Bilateral trade has expanded from US$2.4 billion to US$780 billion. Investment has increased from almost zero to close to US$260 billion. The China-Europe Railway Express has run more than 100,000 trips and become a golden passage connecting Asia and Europe.
Fifty years on, China and the EU jointly make up over one-third of the world economy, and the cooperation between the two has a greater strategic value and global influence.
China and Global South
Friendship between the people is the foundation for bilateral relations and motivation for peace. As China sustains socio-economic development and expands high-standard opening up, we have seen more frequent exchanges and closer ties between the Chinese people and people of other countries.
You mentioned that people in the Global South view China positively. That is indeed the case. China has always engaged with other developing countries with sincerity and good faith. Our people share a natural affinity and empathy with each other.
China and Japan
With concerted efforts, bilateral relations have demonstrated a momentum of improvement and growth. We welcome enhanced exchanges, deeper mutually beneficial cooperation, and stronger goodwill between all sectors of our societies. All these are in the long-term interests of both sides. As for the specific concerns of the Japanese side in your question, China will handle them responsibly and properly in accordance with laws and regulations.
Let me highlight another point. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Remembering history, one can better shape the future. Forgetting history, one may lose his direction going forward. The Japanese militarists committed heinous crimes to the people in China and all over Asia. They brought immense suffering for the Japanese people as well. Guarding against the revival of militarism is a duty Japan must carry out without a moment’s relaxation.
Latin America
There is only mutual support in this cooperation, no geopolitical calculations. In its engagement with LAC countries, China follows the principles of equality and mutual benefit, and never seeks sphere of influence or targets any party.
What people in LAC countries want is to build their own home, not to become someone’s backyard; what they aspire to is independence and self-decision, not the Monroe Doctrine. Cooperation between China and LAC countries has won popular support because it respects the will of the people, meets the needs of regional countries, and provides reliable options and broad prospects for the revitalization of the region.
China’s economy
The Chinese economy registered a five-percent growth last year, continuing to stand out among the world’s major economies. We pulled it off amid a nationwide push for green transition, amid lackluster growth worldwide, and amid unilateral sanctions and suppression from the United States and others. It shows the distinct feature of the Chinese economy: go get it against all odds.
As President Xi Jinping pointed out, “We always grow in the wind and rain, and we get stronger through hard times.” Whether it was the global financial crisis or the COVID-19 pandemic, did the Chinese economy ever fail to withstand the immense challenges and achieve even better development? Our confidence comes from China’s super-sized market and huge domestic demand, from China’s robust industries and innovative drive, and more importantly from China’s institutional strength and reform and opening up. As people often say, “The next China is still China.” The Chinese miracle of unprecedented high-speed growth will be followed by even more remarkable high-quality development.
ASEAN and South China Sea
Last year, with the joint efforts by China and ASEAN countries, the South China Sea maintained peace and stability, and remained the safest and busiest waters for international navigation and overflight. China and Indonesia signed an intergovernmental document on maritime joint development. China and Malaysia launched a bilateral dialogue on the management of maritime issues. China has established maritime dialogue mechanisms with all countries concerned. These are proof that there is no problem that cannot be solved through dialogue and no goals that cannot be reached with cooperation.
Beijing 95 Repeat
In 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Conference became a milestone in the global pursuit of gender equality. On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, and as a follow-up to President Xi’s proposal, China will convene a Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in the latter half of this year.
Over the past three decades, China has acted on the spirit of the 1995 Conference and made historic achievements in women’s development in China. We have upheld gender equality as our basic state policy and carried out national action plans dedicated to the all-round development of women. Countless outstanding women have become role models of our times, making their important contributions to Chinese modernization.
China and India
China-India relations have made positive strides over the past year. The successful meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan last October provided strategic guidance for the improvement and development of the bilateral ties. Both sides have earnestly followed through on the important common understandings of our leaders, strengthened exchanges and practical cooperation at all levels, and achieved a series of positive outcomes.
China and India are each other’s largest neighbors. China always believes that the two should be partners that contribute to each other’s success. A cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant is the only right choice for both sides.
Citizens diplomacy and cybercrime
The central Party leadership cares a great deal about Chinese nationals overseas, and always keeps their well-being and safety close at heart. In 2024, in addition to safely evacuating more than 10,000 Chinese citizens from Lebanon, Haiti and other high-risk areas, we processed more than 50,000 consular protection cases, handled over 500,000 calls on the consular service hotline 12308, and issued more than 5,000 safety alerts. Our goal is: No matter where you are, the motherland will never be far.
Online gambling and telecom fraud is a matter of grave concern to the people, hence an issue that we must keep a firm hand on.
