Standing Together to Fight COVID-19, Promote Recovery and Safeguard Peace

Standing Together to Fight COVID-19,

Promote Recovery and Safeguard Peace

Speech by H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the People’s Republic of China

At the Official Ceremony of the Third Edition of the Paris Peace Forum

Beijing, 12 November 2020

Your Excellency President Emmanuel Macron,

Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to attend the third edition of the Paris Peace Forum. Since its inception, the Forum has enabled parties to deepen mutual understanding on improving global governance, promoting multilateralism, and safeguarding world peace. The role this important platform has played is positive and significant. I want to commend President Macron and France for all their worthy efforts.     

Right now, the global landscape is fast evolving. Traditional and non-traditional security threats keep emerging. Instability and uncertainties are growing in the international situation. Global threats and challenges require global responses. With that in mind, I wish to share with you the following three proposals:

First, let us show solidarity and help each other to jointly fight COVID-19. The coronavirus is still wreaking havoc around the world. We need to put people and life first, place people’s well-being front and center, respect science, and make more targeted and concerted response. We need to give full play to the crucial leadership role of the World Health Organization in facilitating the joint global response against COVID-19.     

China will continue to share with others experience in containing the virus and expertise in diagnostics and therapeutics, and provide assistance in essential medical supplies. China will honor its commitment to make Chinese vaccines a global public good. China will help the global community, developing countries in particular, enhance preparedness for public health emergencies. Together, we could build a global community of health for all.

Second, let us embrace openness and cooperation to jointly promote recovery. Two weeks ago, the Fifth Plenum of the 19th CPC Central Committee deliberated on and adopted the recommendations on formulating China’s 14th five-year plan for economic and social development and the long-range goals for 2035. The course has been charted for China’s development in the years ahead. China will continue to follow the new development philosophy, foster a new development paradigm, and pursue high-quality development. To this end, China will stay committed to deepening reform and opening wider to the world. China will work with the rest of the international community to keep the global industrial and supply chains stable and foster an open world economy. China will earnestly act on the G20 debt service suspension initiative for poorest countries. China will take an active part in international development cooperation and help African and other developing countries tide over their current difficulties.

Green economy represents the future of human progress. It also holds the key to promoting recovery. Both China and Europe are followers of green development, and both are committed to the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Not long ago, I announced China’s initiative to scale up the nationally determined contributions to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Implementation plans will be drawn up accordingly. Next year, China, Europe and France will each host an international conference on biodiversity, on climate change and on nature conservation. We could take such opportunities to deepen cooperation in these fields.

Third, let us uphold justice to jointly safeguard world peace. We need to adhere to peaceful coexistence. We need to respect other countries’ right to development and their independent choice of development paths and models. We need to uphold multilateralism, oppose unilateralism, hegemony and power politics, and reject all forms of terrorism and acts of extreme violence. We need to work together to safeguard equity, justice, peace and security in the world.

China and France, both permanent members on the UN Security Council, shoulder special and important responsibilities for world peace. China follows an independent foreign policy of peace. China is committed to the path of peaceful development. We call on all countries to uphold international law and the basic norms governing international relations, determine their position on the merits of each matter, and rise above ideological bias and confrontation. China will step up communication and coordination with France and other countries and play a positive part for the political settlement of international and regional issues and for upholding world peace and stability.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

As the Chinese saying goes, “The Universal Way leads to the greater good of all.” Peace and development are the theme of our times. They are the unstoppable trend of history. Given the challenges facing humankind, countries need to strengthen solidarity, not create estrangement; they need to advance cooperation, not provoke conflicts. Let us join hands to build a community with a shared future for mankind and bring greater benefit to people of our world. 

I wish this Forum a full success.

Thank you.