China unswervingly pursues an independent foreign policy of peace. The fundamental goals of this policy are to preserve China’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, create a favorable international environment for China’s reform and opening up and modernization construction, maintain world peace and propel common development. The main content of this policy includes:

1. China has all along adhered to the principle of independence. With regard to all the international affairs, China will, proceeding from the fundamental interests of the Chinese people and the people of the world, determine its stand and policy in the light of the merits and demerits of the matter, without yielding to any outside pressure. China does not form an alliance with any big power or group of big powers. Nor does China establish military groups with other countries, or engage in arms race and military expansion.

2. China opposes hegemonism and preserves world peace. China believes that all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. Countries should resolve their disputes and conflicts peacefully through consultations and not resort to the use or threat of force. Nor should they interfere in others’ internal affairs under any pretext. China never imposes its social system and ideology on others, nor allows other countries to impose theirs on it.

3. China actively facilitates the establishment of a new international political and economic order that is fair and rational. China holds that the new order should give expression to the demands of the development of history and progress of the times and reflect the universal aspirations and common interests of the peoples of all the countries in the world. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the universally recognized norms governing international relations should serve as the basis for setting up the new international political and economic order.

4. China is ready to establish and develop friendly relations of cooperation with all the countries on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.

It is an important component of China’s foreign policy to actively develop good-neighborly relations of friendship with the surrounding countries. China has resolved problems left over by history with the overwhelming majority of neighboring countries. And China’s mutually beneficial cooperation with its neighbors has witnessed a vigorous development.

It is the fundamental standing point of China’s foreign policy to strengthen its solidarity and cooperation with numerous developing countries. China and these countries share common historic experiences and are faced with the common tasks of preserving national independence and achieving economic development. Therefore, their cooperation has a solid foundation and a broad prospect.

China sets store by improving and developing its relations with developed countries. It advocates that countries should surmount their differences in social system and ideology, respect one another, seek common ground and shelve differences and enhance their mutually beneficial cooperation. Their disputes should be appropriately solved through dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

5. China pursues a policy of all-dimensional opening up to the outside. It is ready to develop, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, extensive trade relations, economic and technological cooperation and scientific and cultural exchanges with countries and regions of the world so as to promote common prosperity. At the end of 2001, China approved 390,000 overseas-funded enterprises with 745.9 billion dollars of contractual capital and 395.5 billion dollars of used capital. In 2001, China’s import and export volume amounted to 509.8 billion dollars, ranking the sixth in the world.

After 15 years’ talks, China finally acceded to the World Trade Organization on December 11, 2001. While enjoying the relevant rights, China has begun earnestly honoring its obligations within the framework of the WTO and its commitments. China remains ready to play a positive role, together with other countries, in improving world multilateral trade system and promoting prosperity and progress in the world.

The world economy is an inter-connected and inter-dependent whole. Economic globalization has brought both opportunities and big risks for the economies of various countries. It is a common challenge confronting the governments of all the countries to preserve financial stability, prevent financial crisis and ensure economic security.

6. China takes an active part in multilateral diplomatic activities and is a staunch force in preserving world peace and facilitating common development.

As a permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations, China actively participates in the political solution of the problems of regional hot spots. China’s peace-keepers have joined United Nations peace-keeping operations. China supports the reform of the United Nations and a continued important role of the United Nations and other multilateral organs in international affairs. China is firmly opposed to all forms of terrorism and has made important contributions to international anti-terrorism cooperation.

China devotes itself actively to pushing forward the cause of international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. To date, China has joined all the treaties related to international arms control and non-proliferation. With regard to non-proliferation, China has all along scrupulously abided by its international obligations and, thanks to its active efforts in enacting laws on non-proliferation, set up a relatively perfect export control system for non-proliferation.

The Chinese government has attached importance to human rights and made unremitting efforts in this regard. China has joined 18 human rights conventions, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

China remains ready, together with the international community, to enhance cooperation to address the global problems facing mankind including worsening environment, resources scarcity, unemployment, population explosion, narcotics spreading, AIDS and rampant transnational crimes.