China ready to maintain long-term relationship with UK
London (ANTARA) - China and the United Kingdom have maintained close interaction this year, with bilateral cooperation bearing fruit, according to an official from the Chinese Embassy in the UK on Wednesday (8 July).
Bi Haibo, minister counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in the UK, made the remarks at a media briefing in London on China’s foreign policy and a recently released white paper entitled “More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China’s Principles, Proposals and Actions”.
Bi said China is ready to continue working with the UK on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and to safeguard the healthy, long-term development of China-UK relations.
The white paper, released by the Information Office of China’s State Council on 17 June, sets out China’s principles, proposals and actions on global governance.
The document portrays China as an active participant, contributor and builder of global governance, and calls for efforts to build a more just and equitable global governance system.
Bi said the document provides a systematic explanation of China’s approach to foreign policy and global governance at a time when the world faces growing deficits in peace, development, security and trust.
China pursues an independent, peaceful foreign policy and upholds sovereign equality as a fundamental principle in international relations, he said.
He added that all countries, regardless of size, strength or wealth, are equal members of the international community.
Responding to a question from Xinhua regarding claims by some Western academics and politicians that China’s cooperation with other countries resembles a so-called “21st-century tribute system”, Bi described such rhetoric as a misunderstanding and an oversimplification of China’s foreign policy.
“Such arguments are outdated,” Bi said. “They fail to grasp the development of China’s diplomacy and the true spirit of China’s foreign policy.”
He said that applying concepts from ancient history to interpret China’s current diplomacy is neither accurate nor acceptable, as China’s present foreign policy is based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, mutually beneficial cooperation and non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.
China does not seek to impose its model on other countries, nor does it coerce or pressure any country into siding with China, Bi said. This is fundamentally different from the alliance-based approach taken by some Western countries, whether military, economic or ideological, he added.
Bi added that China regards itself as a member of the Global South and firmly supports the equal participation of all countries in international governance.