Speech by President Xi at
Davos Agenda Week.pdf
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1 (Translation)Let the Torch of Multilateralism Light up Humanity’s Way Forward Special Address by H.E. Xi Jinping President of the People’s Republic of ChinaAt the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda25 January 2021 Professor Klaus Schwab,Ladies and Gentlemen,Friends,
The past year was marked by the sudden onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global public health faced severe threat and the world 2 economy was mired in deep recession. Humanity encountered multiple crises rarely seen in human history. The past year also bore witness to the enormous resolve and courage of people around the world in battling the deadly coronavirus. Guided by science, reason and a humanitarian spirit, the world has achieved initial progress in fighting COVID-19.
That said, the pandemic is far from over. The
recent resurgence in COVID cases reminds us that we must carry on the fight.
Yet we remain convinced that winter cannot stop the arrival of spring and
darkness can never shroud the light of dawn. There is no doubt that humanity
will prevail over the virus and emerge
even stronger from this disaster.
Ladies
and Gentlemen,Friends,History is moving forward and the world will not go back
to what it was in the
past. Every choice
and move we
make today will
shape the world
of the future.
It is important
that we properly
address the four
major tasks facing people of our times.
The
first is to step
up macroeconomic policy
coordination and jointly promote strong, sustainable, balanced
and inclusive growth of the world economy. We are going through the worst
recession since the end of World
War II. For
the first time
in history, the
economies of all regions have been
hit hard at
the same time,
with global industrial
and supply chains
clogged and trade
and investment down
in the doldrums.
Despite the trillions
of dollars in
relief packages worldwide,
global recovery is
rather shaky and
the outlook remains
uncertain. We need
to focus on
current priorities, and
balance COVID response
and economic development.
Macroeconomic policy support
should be stepped
up to bring
the world economy
out of the
woods as early as
possible. More importantly, we need to look beyond the
horizon and strengthen our will and
resolve for change.
We need to
shift the driving
forces and growth
models of the global economy and improve its structure, so as to set the
course for long-term,
sound and steady
development of the
world economy.
The second is to abandon ideological prejudice
and jointly follow a path of
peaceful coexistence, mutual
benefit and win-win cooperation. No
two leaves in
the world are
identical, and no histories, cultures or
social systems are
the same. Each
country is unique
with its own history, culture and social system, and
none is superior to the other. The best criteria are whether a country’s
history, culture and social system fit its particular situation, enjoy people’s
support, serve to deliver political stability,
social progress and
better lives, and
contribute to human
progress. The different histories, cultures and social systems are as
old as human societies, and they are the inherent features of human
civilization. There will be no human civilization without diversity, and such
diversity will continue to exist for as long as we can imagine. Difference in
itself is no cause for alarm. What does ring the alarm is arrogance, prejudice
and hatred; it is
the attempt to
impose hierarchy on
human civilization or
to force one’s own history,
culture and social system upon others. The right choice is
for countries to pursue
peaceful coexistence based
on mutual respect
and on expanding common ground
while shelving differences,
and to promote
exchanges and mutual
learning. This is
the way to
add impetus to the progress of
human civilization.
The third is to close the divide between
developed and developing countries and jointly bring about growth and
prosperity for all. Tod ay, inequality continues to grow, the North-South gap
remains to be bridged, and
sustainable development faces
severe challenges. As
countries grapple with the
pandemic, their economic
recoveries are following
divergent trajectories, and the North-South gap risks further widening
and even perpetuation. For
developing countries, they
are aspiring for
more resources and space
for development, and
they are calling
for stronger representation and
voice in global
economic governance. We
should recognize that with the growth of developing countries, global
prosperity and stability will be put on a more solid footing, and developed
countries will stand to
benefit from such growth. The
international community should keep its eyes on the long run, honor
its commitment, and provide necessary support
to developing countries
and safeguard their
legitimate development interests.
Equal rights, equal
opportunities and equal rulesshould
be strengthened, so
that all countries
will benefit from
the opportunities and fruits of development.
4 The fourth is to
come together against
global challenges and jointly
create a better
future for humanity.
In the era of
economic globalization, public
health emergencies like
COVID-19 may very well
recur, and global
public health governance
needs to be enhanced.
The Earth is our one
and only home.
To scale up
efforts to address
climate change and
promote sustainable development
bears on the
future of humanity.
No global problem
can be solved
by
any one
country alone. There must be
global action, global response and global cooperation. Ladies and Gentlemen,Friends,The problems facing the world
are intricate and
complex. The way
out of them
is through upholding multilateralism and
building a community with a
shared future for mankind.
First,
we should stay
committed to openness and
inclusivenessinstead of closeness and
exclusion. Multilateralism
is about
having international affairs addressed
through consultation and
the future of
the world decided
by everyone working
together. To build
small circles orstart a new Cold War, to reject, threaten
or intimidate others, to willfully impose decoupling, supply disruption or
sanctions, and to create isolation or
estrangement will only push
the world into
division and even
confrontation. We cannot tackle
common challenges in a divided world,and confrontation
will lead us to a
dead end. Humanity has
learned lessons the
hard way, and
that history is
not long gone.
We must not
return to the path of the past. The right
approach is to act on
the vision of
a community with
a shared future
for mankind. We
should uphold the common
values of humanity,
i.e. peace, development, equity,
justice, democracy and
freedom, rise above ideological
prejudice, make the mechanisms, principles and policies
of our cooperation as open and
inclusive as possible, and
jointly safeguard world peace and stability. We should build an open
world economy, uphold
the multilateral trading
regime, discarddiscriminatory and exclusionary standards,
rules and systems,
and take down barriers to trade,
investment and technological
exchanges. We
5 should strengthen the
G20 as the
premier forum for
global economic governance,
engage in closer
macroeconomic policy coordination, and keep the
global industrial and
supply chains stable
and open. We
should ensure the
sound operation of
the global financial
system, promote structural
reform and expand
global aggregate demand in
an effort to
strive for higher
quality and stronger
resilience in global
economic development.
Second,
we should stay committed
to international law
and international rules instead
of seeking one’s own
supremacy. Ancient Chinese
believed that “the
law is the very
foundation of governance”.
International governance should
be based on the
rules and consensus
reached among us, not on the order given by one or the few. The Charter
of the
United Nations is
the basic and
universally recognized norms governing state-to-state relations. Without international law
and international rules that
are formed and
recognized by the
global community, the world may
fall back to
the law of the jungle,
and the consequence would be devastating for humanity. We need
to be resolute
in championing the
international rule of law,
and steadfast in our resolve to safeguard the international system
centered around the UN and the international order
based on international
law. Multilateral institutions, which
provide the platforms for putting multilateralism into
action and which are
the basic architecture underpinning multilateralism, should
have theirauthority and
effectiveness safeguarded.
State-to-state relations should
be coordinated and regulated through proper institutions and
rules. The strong should not bully
the weak. Decision
should not be
made by simply
showing off strong muscles or waving a big fist.
Multilateralism should not be used as pretext for acts of unilateralism.
Principles should be preserved and rules, once made, should be followed by all.
“Selective multilateralism” should not be our option.
Third,
we should stay committed to
consultation and cooperation instead of conflict and confrontation. Differences
in history, culture and social
system should not
be an excuse
for antagonism or
confrontation, but rather
an incentive for
cooperation. We should
respect and accommodate
differences, avoid meddling
in other countries’
internal affairs, and resolve
disagreements through consultation
and dialogue.
6 History and reality have made it clear, time and again, that the
misguided approach of antagonism and confrontation, be it in the form of cold
war, hot war, trade
war or tech
war, would eventually
hurt all countries’interests and undermine everyone’s
well-being.We should reject the outdated Cold War and zero-sum game mentality,
adhere to mutual respect and accommodation, and enhance political trust
through strategic communication. It
is important that
we stick to
the cooperation concept
based on mutual
benefit, say no
to narrow-minded, selfish beggar-thy-neighbor policies,
and stop unilateral
practice of keeping
advantages in development
all to oneself.
Equal rights to
development should be
guaranteed for all
countries to promote
common development and
prosperity. We should
advocate fair competition,
like competing with
each other for
excellence in a
racing field, not
beating each other on a wrestling
arena.
Fourth,
we should stay
committed to keeping
up with the
times instead of rejecting
change. The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century,
and now is the time
for major development
and major transformation. To uphold multilateralism in
the 21st century, we should promote its fine tradition, take on new
perspectives and look to the future. We
need to stand
by the core
values and basic
principles of multilateralism. We
also need to
adapt to the
changing international landscape
and respond to global
challenges as they
arise. We need
to reform and
improve the global
governance system on
the basis of
extensive consultation and consensus-building.We need to give full play
to the role of the World Health Organization in
building a global
community of health
for all. We
need to advance
reform of the
World Trade Organization
and the international
financial and monetary
system in a
way that boosts
global economic growth
and protects the development
rights, interests and opportunities of developing countries. We
need to follow
a people-centered and
fact-based policy orientation
in exploring and
formulating rules on
global digital governance.
We need to
deliver on the
Paris Agreement on
climate change and
promote green development.
We need to
give continued priority
to development, implement
the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development,
and make sure
that all countries,
especially developing ones, share in the fruits of global
development.
7 Ladies and Gentlemen,Friends,After decades of strenuous efforts
by the Chinese people, China is on course to finish building a moderately
prosperous society in all respects. We
have made historic gains
in ending extreme
poverty, and have
embarked on a
new journey toward
fully building a
modern socialist country. As
China enters a new development stage, we will follow a new development philosophy
and foster a
new development paradigm
with domestic circulation
as the mainstay
and domestic and
international circulations
reinforcing each other. China will work with other countries to build an open,
inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal
security and common prosperity. — China
will continue to
take an active
part in international
cooperation on COVID-19.
Containing the coronavirus
is the most
pressing task for the international community. This is because people
and their lives must always be put before anything else. It is also what it
takes to stabilize and
revive the economy.
Closer solidarity and
cooperation, more information
sharing, and a
stronger global response
are what we
need to defeat COVID-19
across the world.
It is especially
important to scale up cooperation on the R&D,
production and distribution of vaccines and
make them public
goods that are
truly accessible and
affordable to people
in all countries.
By now, China
has provided assistance
to over 150
countries and 13
international organizations, sent
36 medical expert
teams to countries
in need, and
stayed strongly supportive
and actively engaged
in international cooperation on
COVID vaccines. China
will continue to share its
experience with other countries, do its best to assist countries and
regions that are
less prepared for
the pandemic, and
work for greater
accessibility and affordability of COVID vaccines
in developing countries. We
hope these efforts
will contribute to
an early and complete victory over the coronavirus
throughout the world.— China will continue
to implement a win-win
strategy of opening-up.
Economic globalization meets
the need of
growing social productivity
and is a natural
outcome of scientific
and technological advancement. It serves no one’s interest to
use the pandemic as an excuse 8
to reverse globalization and go
for seclusion and decoupling. As
a longstanding supporter of
economic globalization, China is committed to following through
on its fundamental
policy of opening-up.
China will continue
to promote trade
and investment liberalization and
facilitation, help keep the
global industrial and supply chains smooth and stable, and advance high-quality
Belt and Road
cooperation. China will
promote institutional opening-up that covers
rules, regulations, management
and standards. We will foster a
business environment that is based on market principles, governed by law and up
to international standards, and unleash the potential of the huge
China market and
enormous domestic demand. We hope these efforts will bring more
cooperation opportunities to other countries
and give further
impetus to global
economic recovery and
growth.— China will continue to promote sustainable development. China
will fully implement
the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development.
It will do more on
the ecological front, by
transforming and improving itsindustrial
structure and energy
mix at a faster
pace and promoting a
green, low-carbon way of life and production. I have announced China’s
goal of
striving to peak carbon
dioxide emissions before
2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
Meeting these targets will require tremendous
hard work from China. Ye t we believe that when the interestsof the entire
humanity are at stake, China must step forward, take action, and get the job
done. China is drawing up action plans and taking specific measures already to
make sure we meet the set targets. We are doing this as a
concrete action to
uphold multilateralism and
as a contribution
to protecting our shared home
and realizing sustainable development
of humanity. — China will
continue to advance
science, technology and
innovation. Science, technology
and innovation is
a key engine
for human progress, a powerful
weapon in tackling many global challenges, and
the only way
for China to
foster a new
development paradigm and
achieve high-quality development. China will invest more in science and
technology, develop an enabling system for innovation as a priority, turn
breakthroughs in science and technology into actual
productivity at a
faster pace, and enhance
intellectual property protection,
all for the
purpose of fostering
innovation-driven, higher-quality
growth. Scientific and technological
advances should benefit
all humanity rather
than be used to
curb and contain
other countries’ development.
China will think and
act with more
openness with regard to
international exchange and
cooperation on science and technology. We will work with other countries
9 to create an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory
environment for scientific and technological
advancement that is
beneficial to all
and shared by all.— China will
continue to promote a new
type of international
relations.
Zero-sum game or winner-takes-all is not the guiding philosophy of the Chinese people. As a staunch follower of an independent foreign policy of peace, China is working hard to bridge differences through dialogue and resolve disputes through negotiation and to pursue friendly and cooperative relations with other countries on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. As a steadfast member of developing countries, China will further deepen South-South cooperation, and contribute to the endeavor of developing countries to eradicate poverty, ease debt burden, and achieve more growth. China will get more actively engaged in global economic governance and push for an economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all.Ladies and Gentlemen,Friends,There is only one Earth and one shared future for humanity. As wecope with the current crisis and endeavor to make a better day for everyone, we need to stand united and work together. We have been shown time and again that to beggar thy neighbor, to go it alone, and to slip into arrogant isolation will always fail. Let us all join hands and letmultilateralism light our way toward a community with a shared future for mankind.Thank you.
