Chinese President Reiterates Stance to Build New World Order

Visiting Chinese President Jiang Zemin reiterated Thursday in Ashkhabad China's position on establishing a new world order and pledged that his country will make unremitting efforts to work for the setting up of a new world political and economic order.

"With the advent of the new century, what kind of a new international order should we establish is a question that we must think carefully," Jiang said during his talks with Turkmenistan President Saparmurad Niyazov, according to officials with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

On this question, Jiang said, China stands for upholding the principles of maintaining peace and opposing the use of military force, mutual respect and equality of sovereignty, independent choice of ways of development and mutual accommodation, and mutually beneficial cooperation for common development in the process of setting up the new world order.

All disputes between countries should be solved through negotiations and consultation, and not through military force or the threat of using military force, he said, noting that the Cold War mentality and all forms of hegemony must be abandoned.

Meanwhile, countries in the world, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, are all equal members of the international community, and therefore, all have the rights to be involved, or have a say, in the world affairs, Jiang said.

Every country, he said, has the right to independently choose the way of social development in accordance with the specific and indigenous national conditions.

The differences in historical background, in culture and tradition, in social systems, and in values and ideologies should not become hurdles in the way of developing normal state-to-state relations. Rather, the difference should be the root cause and driving force for exchanges and cooperation, he stressed.

The Chinese president called on countries in the world to join hands in equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in an effort to promote common development.

It is only with mutual coordination and close cooperation of the international community can the world solve the global problems of the deteriorating eco-environment, poverty, drug trafficking, and rampant organized crimes, he said.

Jiang arrived here Wednesday evening on a three-day state visit, the first by a Chinese head of state to Turkmenistan, after a two- day state visit to Tajikistan, where he also attended the fifth summit meeting of the "Shanghai Five" nations. The "Shanghai Five" nations are China, Tajikistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

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