China committed to peaceful development, common prosperity: ambassador to New Zealand

WELLINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- China is committed to a peaceful path of development and is willing to work with the rest of the world to pursue common prosperity and shared interests, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wu Xi said on Thursday.

Wu made the remarks during an online event to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), which falls on Aug. 1, saying that "China is committed to a peaceful road of development, an independent foreign policy of peace, and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature."

The ambassador said China not only remains committed to promoting peace, but also development, cooperation and mutual benefit, and works to promote the construction of a new type of international relations with win-win as the core while aiming to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Senior Colonel Ke Hui also delivered a speech at the celebration. He spoke highly of the PLA's notable contributions to safeguarding China's national interests as well as preserving global peace, stability and development.

"The building and development of China's national defense and armed forces is entirely driven by the need to safeguard China's national interests, not targeting any country or not posing a threat to any country," he said.

Ke also said that the PLA has recently provided COVID-19 vaccine aid to over 10 militaries and sent medical assistance and experts to more than 20 countries, honoring the commitment of making China's vaccines a global public good.

The online event is part of a series of activities the embassy has launched to mark the PLA's anniversary.