Xi calls on world political parties to build community with shared future for mankind

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the CPC is willing to work with other political parties around the world to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and create a better world.

Xi made the remarks while delivering a keynote speech on Friday at the opening ceremony of CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting in Beijing.

BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH SHARED FUTURE FOR MANKIND

Xi said the initiative of building a community with a shared future for mankind is being transformed from a concept into action.

"I'm delighted to see that the friendly cooperation between China and other countries is increasingly expanding and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind is gaining support and endorsement from an increasing number of people," Xi said.

The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind was put forth by Xi in 2013.

The Belt and Road Initiative is the practice of the concept, Xi said, adding the initiative has become a huge cooperation platform for countries concerned to realize their common development.

Proposed by Xi in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa via land and maritime routes.

In his speech, Xi said building a community with a shared future for mankind is in essence to connect the prospects and destinies of every nation and country closely together, share weal and woe, and turn planet Earth into a harmonious family.

He said efforts shall be made to build a safe world free of fear, adding a country cannot gain its security at the cost of others'. Threats facing other countries may be challenges to ourselves.

"Facing increasingly complicated and integrated threats, we shall not fight alone, nor shall we worship military force," he said, adding all countries should pursue a new concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.

All countries should create fair, just and shared security to jointly eliminate the root cause of war and rescue people from pains brought about by war, he said.

In the meantime, countries should also strive to eliminate poverty and promote common prosperity, Xi said, citing challenges such as the North-South development gap, poverty, hunger and digital gap.

The old-school winner-takes-all mentality and beggar-thy-neighbor approach would not only block the doors of others, but also barricade one's own path. "They would erode a country's own roots for growth, and impair the future of whole humanity," he said.

The world should push for an economic globalization that is more open and inclusive, more balanced, more equitable and beneficial to all, to bring prosperity to all countries and create comfortable lives for children worldwide, he noted.

Xi went on to emphasize the significance of an open and inclusive world, urging the world to break cultural barriers and let all kinds of civilizations exist and grow in harmony.

Stressing the building of a clean and beautiful world with picturesque scenery, Xi called for efforts to ensure coexistence between man and nature, cherish the environment as we cherish our own lives, respect and protect nature, and safeguard the irreplaceable planet Earth.

NEW MODEL OF PARTY-TO-PARTY RELATIONS

Xi proposed to develop a new model of party-to-party relations, in which political parties seek common grounds while shelving differences, respect and learn from one another.

Political parties of different countries should work together for an international network of cooperation and exchange in various forms and at multiple levels, he said.

With an open vision and broad mind, the CPC is willing to carry out dialogues, exchanges and cooperation with peoples and political parties of other countries, he noted.

In the next five years, the CPC would like to invite 15,000 members of foreign political parties to China for exchanges, Xi said.

Xi also suggested that the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting be institutionalized and developed into a high-level political dialogue platform of broad representation and international influence.

The CPC has kept regular contacts with more than 400 political parties and organizations in about 160 countries and regions.

CHINA WILL NOT "EXPORT" CHINESE MODEL

Xi said the CPC would neither import foreign models of development nor export the Chinese model.

"We will not ask other countries to copy the Chinese practice," he added.

He reiterated that the CPC strives for both the well-being of the Chinese people and human progress.

Therefore, besides taking care of China's internal matters, the CPC will create opportunities for the world through China's development, said Xi.

The CPC, as the biggest political party in the world, will also explore the law of social development for humanity and share it with other countries, according to Xi.

He said that the CPC will, as always, contribute to world peace.

Noting that one of the founding missions of the CPC, established in 1921, was to end the plight of the country which had suffered long period of war and to ensure the people's survival, Xi stressed that the CPC "knows deeply the value of peace and holds firm resolve in maintaining peace."

To date, China has dispatched over 36,000 peacekeeping personnel and the country is acting as a major peacekeeping force and contributor of funds for UN peacekeeping missions.

There are currently more than 2,500 Chinese peacekeepers on UN missions in eight locations, safeguarding local peace and tranquility, despite difficulties and dangers.

He pledged that no matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion.

Also, the CPC will continue working for common development around the world and contributing to exchanges and mutual learning among the civilizations of the world, Xi said.

EXCHANGES IN VARIOUS FORMS

After the opening ceremony, the first plenary session of the meeting was held, in which foreign delegates spoke highly of Xi's speech and expressed their willingness to work with the CPC to build a better world.

Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and member of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat, attended the opening ceremony and the first plenary session.

Earlier the same day, representatives of attendees paid a visit to the Party School of the CPC Central Committee and visited an exhibition on China's achievements over the past five years.

Guests from Africa and Central Asia also had seminars with the CPC on the role of parties in building a community of shared future and promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, respectively.

Both events were held under the framework of the high-level dialogue, which has attracted over 600 representatives of nearly 300 political parties and organizations from more than 120 countries.