Full Text of Foreign Minister Wang Yi's Speech on China's Diplomacy in 2014(5)

In the past year since the initiative was raised, over 50 countries along the routes have responded positively and signed on, ready to align their respective development schemes with it. Substantive steps have been made in the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which renders strong support to the initiative. The Silk Road Fund is in place. Infrastructure connectivity cooperation such as China-Mongolia and China-Thailand railway projects is making progress. China-ROK and China-Australia FTA negotiations have yielded fruitful results. As time goes by, the great significance and far-reaching impact of the initiative will become more keenly felt.

By promoting the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), we have worked relentlessly to ensure a right direction for regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. Using the opportunity presented by hosting APEC meetings, we set in motion the FTAAP process and approved the relevant roadmap, transcending and integrating the increasingly fragmented bilateral and multilateral FTAs in the region and creating a significant milestone in the APEC process, which aroused strong resonance and support from all parties. The effort goes a long way toward ensuring mutual inclusiveness and reinforcement of the existing cooperation arrangements in the region.

By taking part in international economic and financial governance, we have played a positive role in revamping the relevant international systems. We moved the G20 Summit in Brisbane to include structural reform, as China called for, in its Leaders' Communique as an important element under macroeconomic policy coordination. We worked with the United States and Australia in drafting the G20 Principles on Energy Collaboration and urging its endorsement by the Summit. In such a way, we took an active part in agenda-setting and rule-making in the multilateral arena. At the BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, we pushed for the launch of preparations for a New Development Bank and a Contingent Reserve Arrangement, thus making a new contribution to improving global financial governance. We actively participated in the United Nations Climate Summit. The Joint Announcement on Climate Change by China and the United States, spelling out their respective post-2020 actions on climate change, set an illustrious example for the international community.

Fourth, we have played our part in addressing global hotspot issues. The Chinese nation has been peace-loving throughout the ages. Not only are we committed to a path of peaceful development, we have also asked ourselves to stand for peace, make peace and keep peace in international affairs.

We have backed our support to the triple transition of Afghanistan with concrete actions. By announcing new assistance package and major training programs for Afghanistan, we have worked hard to maintain peace and stability in that country. In successfully hosting the Foreign Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan, we have helped identify 64 priority cooperation projects as confidence building measures, thus injecting new vitality to the Istanbul Process and setting new standards to it.

We have taken an active part in the negotiations for a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue. Chinese leaders have personally talked at great length to the leaders of relevant countries on many occasions. We put forward a five-point political proposition at the early days of the negotiations and went on to offer our ideas and plans throughout the process, especially at critical junctures of negotiations. The constructive role played by China in bridging differences, breaking impasse and moving the negotiations forward has been widely recognized.

In the face of the Ebola epidemic, the biggest global public health crisis in nearly 30 years, we extended a helping hand to our African brothers right away. So far, China has provided four batches of assistance worth a total of RMB750 million to the affected countries and their neighbors, sent more than 1,000 epidemic control experts and medical workers for the relief efforts and built in a timely fashion treatment centers in the affected areas. These moves have won China extensive praises internationally.