Addis Ababa, January 17, 2022 (Walta) – Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the world the world to discard Cold War mentality, seek peaceful coexistence and win-win outcomes.
President Xi Jinping Addressed Keynote Speech at the 2022 World Economic Forum Virtual Session.
The highlight of his speech is stated as follows:
Xi said that, the world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century. How to beat the pandemic and how to build the post-COVID world? These are major issues of common concern to people around the world and also are major, urgent questions the world must give answers to.
Xi pointed out that, to answer the above questions, the international community needs to move forward by following the logic of historical progress, develop by riding the tide of development of our times, learn from comparing long historycycles, and see the change in things through the subtle and minute. The world also needs to foster new opportunities amidst crises, open up new horizons on a shifting landscape, and pool great strength to go through difficulties and challenges:
First, the world needs to embrace cooperation and jointly defeat the pandemic. Strong confidence and cooperation represent the only right way to defeat the pandemic. Holding each other back or shifting blame would only cause needless delay in response and distract us from the overall objective. Countries need to strengthen international cooperation against COVID-19, carry out active cooperation on research and development of medicines, jointly build multiple lines of defense against the coronavirus, and speed up efforts to build a global community of health for all. What is of particular importance is to fully leverage vaccines as a powerful weapon, ensure their equitable distribution, quicken vaccination and close the global immunization gap, so as to truly safeguard people’s lives, health and livelihoods.
Second, the world needs to resolve various risks and promote steady recovery of the global economy. The world economy is emerging from the depths, yet it still faces many constraints. In the context of ongoing COVID-19 response, the global need to explore new drivers of economic growth, new modes of social life and new pathways for people-to-people exchanges, in a bid to facilitate cross-border trade, keep industrial and supply chains secure and smooth, and promote steady and solid progress in global economic recovery. Countries around the world should uphold true multilateralism to build an open world economy, make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial for all, and fully unleash the vitality of the world economy.
To turn the world economy from crisis to recovery, it is imperative to strengthen macro-policy coordination. Major economies should see the world as one community, think in a more systematic way, increase policy transparency and information sharing, and coordinate the objectives, intensity and pace of fiscal and monetary policies. Major developed countries should adopt responsible economic policies, manage policy spillovers, and avoid severe impacts on developing countries. International economic and financial institutions should play their constructive role to pool global consensus, enhance policy synergy and prevent systemic risks.
Third, the world needs to bridge the development divide and revitalize global development. The process of global development is suffering from severe disruption, as can be seen from the fact that the Human Development Index has declined for the first time in 30 years. Some developing countries have fallen back into poverty and instability due to the pandemic. Many in developed countries are also living through a hard time. No matter what difficulties may come our way, the international community must adhere to a people-centered philosophy of development, place development and livelihoods front and center in global macro-policies, realize the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and build greater synergy among existing mechanisms of development cooperation to promote balanced development worldwide. The world needs to uphold the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, promote international cooperation on climate change in the context of development, and implement the outcomes of COP26 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Developed economies should take the lead in honoring their emissions reduction responsibilities, deliver on their commitment of financial and technological support, and create necessary conditions for developing countries to address climate change and achieve sustainable development.
The Global Development Initiative is a public good open to the whole world, which aims to form synergy with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and boost common development across the world. China stands ready to work with all partners to jointly translate the Initiative into concrete actions and make sure that no country is left behind in this process.
Fourth, the world needs to discard Cold War mentality and seek peaceful coexistence and win-win outcomes. The world today is far from being tranquil; rhetorics that stoke hatred and prejudice abound. History has proved time and again that confrontation does not solve problems; it only invites catastrophic consequences. Protectionism and unilateralism can protect no one; they ultimately hurt the interests of others as well as one’s own. Even worse are the practices of hegemony and bullying, which run counter to the tide of history. Naturally, countries have divergences and disagreements between them, yet a zero-sum approach that enlarges one’s own gain at the expense of others will not help. The right way forward for humanity is peaceful development and win-win cooperation. The international community should follow the trend of history, work for a stable international order, advocate common values of humanity, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Xi also emphasized that, the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding last year. Through a century of tenacious struggle, the CPC has rallied and led the Chinese people in accomplishing remarkable achievements in the advancement of the nation and betterment of people’s lives. China has realized a moderately prosperous society in all respects, won the battle against poverty, and found a historic solution to ending absolute poverty. Now, China is marching on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects. China will stay committed to pursuing high-quality development, reform and opening-up and promoting ecological conservation.
(Source: Embassy of People’s Republic of China in Ethiopia)