12 August 2024, New Delhi
Vice Chairman Sameep Shastri,
Young Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It’s a pleasure to attend the youth leadership dialogue. The BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry establishes the platform of Young Leaders Summit to invite speakers from different communities to engage young people from India and other BRICS countries in the discussion on diplomacy and world affairs. We appreciate your vision and contribution.
The world is undergoing more rapid and significant changes unseen in a century. The young generation should face up to the trend of change, reflect on the significance of diplomacy, seize the opportunity of growth, and contribute to world peace and development. I would like to share thoughts with you around a couple of questions: What has happened to the world? What choices should we make? And what should the young people do?
The changes of the world, of our times, and of history are unfolding in ways like never before. The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. Some major western countries pursue power politics and bullying and stoke bloc confrontation. But the trend towards a multi-polar world is unstoppable. The global economic recovery is sluggish against the headwinds of protectionism, decoupling and the so-called “small yard and high fences”. The Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict still drag on. Terrorism, cyber security, climate change and other non-traditional security challenges are prominent. But peace and stability are the abiding pursuit of the international community. We live in a world with converging yet diverse ideas and cultures. Some countries deliberately incite confrontation along ideological lines. But exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations remain the shared aspiration of countries around the world.
Seventy years ago, in the face of the scourge of hot wars and the confrontation of the Cold War, Chinese leaders, together with leaders from India and Myanmar, jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. It promoted the tide of national independence of Asian, African and Latin American countries and became basic norms for international relations and fundamental principles of international law. Today at a new historic juncture, President Xi Jinping has proposed the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and called for building a community with a shared future for mankind. They pool the consensus of countries around the world to pursue development, security and cultural prosperity, and lend a strong boost to the cause of peace and development for the mankind.
The world is witnessing the collective rise of emerging and developing countries. The BRICS nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have become important forces that shape the international landscape and stability and prosperity of the Eurasian continent, with growing international profile. After the membership expansion last year, the BRICS countries account for nearly half of the world’s population and one-fifth of global trade. Their total economic output has overtaken that of G7 in terms of purchasing power parity. The BRICS is getting the global governance system to evolve in a more just and equitable direction. China has taken over the SCO chairmanship for 2024-2025. We will work with all parities to deepen political, security, economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, to build an even closer SCO community of a shared future. Later this year, Russia and Brazil will host the BRICS summit and the G20 summit respectively. We are also expecting the United Nations Summit of the Future in 2024 and the 80th anniversary of the UN in 2025. Emerging markets and developing countries including China and India should champion the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, uphold true multilateralism, enhance solidarity and cooperation, confront common challenges and resist bloc confrontation. We need to make unrelenting efforts to build the community with a shared future for mankind.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In a globalized era, the interests of all countries are closely connected and the human being share a common future. In a world of major development, transformation and adjustment, peace or conflict, cooperation or confrontation, openness or isolation are important questions we must answer.
Between peace and conflict, we should firmly choose peace. Peace and stability are the common wish of the people of all countries. Hegemony and zero-sum games have no future. Some western powers cling to the Cold War mentality, create exclusive blocs and pursue hegemony in the name of democracy, which will only exacerbate global security risks. Among the major countries in the world, China has the best track record with respect to peace and security. We are ready to work with all countries to practise the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, settle disputes through dialogue and promote security through cooperation. Last July, 14 Palestinian factions held talks in Beijing and reached consensus on reconciliation and solidarity. Recently, China and Brazil issued the Common Understandings on Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. The international community should make united efforts to facilitate the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, uphold justice on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, realize an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, fully implement the two-State solution, and play a constructive role for global peace and stability.
Between cooperation and confrontation, we should firmly choose cooperation. What the world needs today is not iron curtains of isolation and confrontation, but pathways to integration and development. Seeking decoupling under the pretext of de-risking and imposing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction violate WTO rules and destabilize global industrial and supply chains. This will inevitably undermine the well-being of all countries. The most important task for developing countries such as China and India is to grow the economy, create more jobs, improve people’s livelihoods and achieve national revitalization. This requires an open, inclusive and interconnected global economic environment. We should work together to restore development to the center of the international agenda, renew global development partnerships, strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, innovation, energy and climate change, and make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial for all.
Between openness and isolation, we should firmly choose openness. Peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom are the common values of humanity. Countries around the world have chosen different paths to modernization, which are rooted in their rich and diverse heritage of civilizations. No country has the privilege to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs and impose its own social system and values on others. Trumpeting “clash of civilizations” and the superiority of certain civilizations and drawing lines based on ideology will only lead to division and confrontation. The 78th Session of the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus the China-tabled resolution to designate the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Last month, the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi adopted resolutions to include the Beijing Central Axis and cultural and natural heritage from India and other countries in the World Heritage List. Countries around the world need to have an open mind to encourage more dialogues and mutual understanding among civilizations and jointly advance the progress of human civilizations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
China and India are the world's most populous emerging economies and neighboring ancient civilizations, We are the driving forces of multi-polarity and economic globalization. And we have a significant mission to promote regional peace and prosperity, lead Asia’s development and revitalization, and safeguard the common interests of emerging and developing countries. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attach great importance to China-India relations. They have reached an important consensus that China and India are not rivals or threats to each other, but are partners in cooperation and development opportunities. This provides a clear direction for the development of bilateral relations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with India’s External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar twice recently, and indicated that China and India should adhere to mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual trust, mutual accommodation and mutual accomplishment. The “Five-Mutuals” are guiding principles for implementing the important consensus reached between Chinese and Indian leaders. In early August, Mr. Xu Feihong, Chinese Ambassador to India, published an article entitled “The Five Guidelines to A Dragon-Elephant Tango” in The Hindu, drawing widespread and positive response in India. China is ready to work with India to get the China-India relationship back on a stable track, explore a pathway for two major neighboring countries to get along with each other, promote solidarity and cooperation of the Global South, and create a better future for the mankind.
Recently, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was successfully held in Beijing. The plenary session drew a blueprint for China to further deepen reforms comprehensively and promote Chinese-style modernization. China will adhere to the policy of opening up, integrate more proactively into the world economy, and unlock more openness and growth dividends to India and the rest of the world. We will promote world modernization featuring peaceful development, win-win cooperation, and common prosperity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
President Xi Jinping said that the young people represent the hope and create the future. I hope that all the young friends will become supporters of China-India friendship and cooperation, participants in the revitalization of the Global South, and contributors to the cause of human progress. Let us join hands to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity.
Thank you.
