Speech by Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi at The 7th "Spring of Diplomats"

Distinguished diplomatic envoys,

Distinguished business representatives,

Dear friends,

Let me begin by thanking the Association of Former Diplomats of China (AFDC) for inviting me to today's event. On behalf of the Chinese Foreign Ministry,

I wish to congratulate you on the success of the 7th "Spring of Diplomats". The "Spring of Diplomats" was launched in 2001 for the purpose of promoting exchanges, understanding, friendship and cooperation. Over the past few years, it has served as an important platform for friendly exchanges between Chinese diplomats and business people and their foreign counterparts, and has become a bridge linking the Chinese people with people of the rest of the world. I admire your valuable work. The year 2008 is of special significance for China and the world. It is the year of the Beijing Olympic Games.

The 1.3 billion Chinese people and indeed, people of the whole world are all eagerly looking forward to this great event. We were all touched by Premier Wen Jiabao's remarks at his press conference following this year's annual session of the National People's Congress.

He said that "the Chinese people are most sincere in their desire to host a successful Olympic Games.

The 1.3 billion Chinese people will greet visitors from all over the world with smile, and their goodwill will be fully reciprocated by people of the whole world." As you can see, today the Chinese people are embracing the world with their sincere smile and are fully prepared to welcome guests from abroad.

We have been overwhelmed by the good wishes from around the world and moved by the friendship expressed to us by people of different colors and races.

However, It was shocking to see some people attempting to sabotage the relay of the Olympic torch, a symbol of the shared dream of humanity. Their acts were a humiliation to the Olympic spirit.

I am sure that like me, you all remember how the Chinese torch bearer Jin Jing courageously protected the torch in her wheelchair.

That scene touched all the Chinese people and kind-hearted people around the world.

That scene tore up the disguise of those separatists for Tibet independence and exposed their craze for violence.That scene made clear to all what is right and what is wrong, what is beautiful and what is ugly, and what is just and what is despicable.

Seeing such brutal violence happening in broad daylight, people cannot but ask:When right and wrong is so crystal clear, how come there are still some people who try to cover those thugs with a cloak of "peace" and attack the lawful measures taken by the Chinese Government?

How come there are some people who have never been to Tibet but keep saying that Tibetan religion, language and culture are being destroyed and the Tibetan people are living in misery? On what ground are they making such allegations?

How come we find almost no picture of lawless people beating, smashing up properties, looting, burning, killing the innocent and sabotaging the Olympic torch relay in some western media which have always claimed to be impartial, objective and authoritative?

Why are there so many untruthful reports that purposefully glorify the violence?A straight answer to all these questions is that prejudice has blinded the eyes and rumours have covered up the truth. Not long ago, I heard such words that the Olympic torch relay was obstructed only in democratic countries and not in non-democratic countries.

I don't understand the logic behind this absurd conclusion, but I believe that most people will be surprised at such a conclusion and sense the arrogance behind it.

Democracy is not exclusive to anyone. And nobody has the speicial privilege to judge whether a country is democratic or not. To do that would only show the lack of democracy.

Dear friends,Arrogance and bias will not prevail in the long run. A small number of people hostile to China can in no way represent the international public opinion. We will enhance communication and exchanges with other countries so that they will be able to see a true China and people from abroad will not be confused by false statements.

What is the true picture of China?Thirty years of reform and opening-up have made a world of difference in China and its relations with the world. Just as President Hu Jintao stated, historic changes have taken place in the visages of the Chinese people, China and the Communist Party of China. So have China's relations with the world.

First, China has made enormous progress in economic, social and cultural development.China's economy has been growing at an average annual rate of nearly 10% for the past 30 years.

This is indeed remarkable. China's per capita GDP is 17 times larger than that of the early years of reform and opening-up. China is now the fourth largest economy and the third largest trading nation, compared with its 15th and 32nd places respectively 30 years ago.

It is particularly worth mentioning that since reform and opening-up China has reduced its rural poor by 228 million, making itself the only country in the world that has halved the number of poor population ahead of schedule set by the UN Millennium Development Goals.

World Bank statistics show that China can take credit for 67% of the achievements made in the past 25 years in the global fight against poverty.

I know Tibet has attracted a lot of attention recently. So I'd like to say a few words about the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The Central Government of China has always given high priority to and supported the development of Tibet. We have adopted a series of preferential policies for Tibet.

Tibet's GDP has been growing at over 12% in the past seven years and its per capita GDP is higher than the country's average.

The average life expectancy of the Tibetan people was only 35 years before the democratic reform in 1959. Now it is 67 years.

The ethnic Tibetan population has increased from 1 million in 1959 to 2.5 million today. Over 95% of the population in Tibet are ethnic Tibetans.

The Central Government is also committed to preserving the Tibetan religious and cultural heritage. There are over 1,780 religious sites in Tibet with more than 46,000 lamas and nuns, and people there fully enjoy freedom of religious belief. Both the Tibetan language and Mandarin are taught in Tibet and Tibetan is the prevailing language in the region.

Tibetan has become the first ethnic minority language in China with a set of international standards. There are over 50 Tibetology research centers throughout China.China has successfully lifted 20% of the humanity out of poverty in a short span of 30 years.

This is not only a tremedous achievement in the history of China's development, but also a significant contribution to the maintenance of world peace, the development of mankind and the protection of human rights.

China is now taking new steps to build a harmonious society. A harmonious society must be, first of all, a society that practices democracy and rule of law. Secondly, it must be a society that promotes equity and justice. We will also work to ensure harmony between man and nature.Second, China has become an important stakeholder in the international system.

China's role in the international system used to be rejected. But now most countries welcome China's involvement and hope to see China play a bigger role in the international system. As a member of over 100 inter-governmental organizations and a party to nearly 300 international treaties, China is an important stakeholder and plays an increasingly active and constructive role in the international system.

We will work with other countries to ensure that the international system will evolve in a way that is more just and equitable.As a responsible country, China is fulfilling its due responsibilities and obligations on its own initiative.

By far, China has carried out more than 2,000 aid programs for over 110 countries and regional organizations. China has reduced and cancelled debts of 44 underdeveloped countries totalling over 20 billion yuan.

It also plays a positive role in meeting global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation and energy security. The international responsibilities China undertakes are not aimed at serving the interests of any individual country or group of countries, nor should they be judged by the standard of any single country or group of countries.

We will fulfill our responsibilities in accordance with our international obligations, and make contributions to the best of our ability. We will determine our positions on the merit of each case. We will take policies that uphold both China's interests and that of the people of the world. We will ensure that the international responsibilities that we undertake are in keeping with the trend of the times.Third, China is becoming an important force for world peace.China is committed to the peaceful settlement of international and regional disputes through dialogue.

It plays a constructive role on major international hotspot issues such as the Korean nuclear issue, the Iranian nuclear issue and the Middle East.

Our efforts have been recognized by the entire international community.China is actively involved in international peacekeeping operations. It has sent more than 10,000 peacekeepers to 22 UN peacekeeping missions, and it is the biggest troop contributing country among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.China is committed to the cause of international arms control and disarmament.

Since 1985, it has cut the size of its military by nearly two million in three stages. China stands for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons. It is the only nuclear state in the world that is unswervingly committed to no first use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances.Fourth, China has put forward a set of new diplomatic ideas consistent with the trend of the times.

Since the program of reform and opening-up was launched, China has, in response to the aspirations of countries and peoples in the world, put forward a series of major strategic ideas governing its diplomacy. China calls for building a new international political and economic order, promoting peace and development, advancing the process toward multipolarity, strengthening democracy in international relations and upholding models of development.In his report to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Hu Jintao pointed out that China believes that "people of all countries should join hands and strives to build a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity".

To this end, China will keep to the path of peaceful development and firmly follow a win-win strategy of opening up.The concept of a harmonious world reflects the common aspirations of people around the world. It is based on greater inclusiveness and is more responsive of the needs of the new era. It has incorporated universal values and it is a reflection of the spirit of democracy, harmony, coordination and win-win progress. I believe it will get growing support from the international community.

Dear friends,Both China and the world are witnessing fast development and undergoing fundamental changes. Though China has made remarkable progress, there is still more room for improvement. China will remain a developing country for years to come. We will learn from the good experience and expertise of other countries.

We also welcome closer exchanges and cooperation with the rest of the world. China can not develop itself in isolation, and the world needs China for development. To promote mutual understanding and exchanges on an equal footing serves the shared interests of all countries.

China will work with the rest of the world to achieve our common goals.China will be more open and show greater confidence in integrating with the world. The world should also see China from a more objective, unbiased and long-term perspective.

Only in this way can China and the world work together for a brighter future of harmony, stability and prosperity.We still have a long way to go. I call on all of you to use your wisdom and make tireless efforts to further increase the understanding and exchanges between China and the world.

Thank you.