Solid as a Rock

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a keynote speech titled A Staunch Force for Stability in a Turbulent World during the Conversation With China session at the 60th Munich Security Conference on February 17.

Wang’s key message to his European colleagues: No matter the changes in the world, China will be “consistent and stable” and a “force for stability.” Wang further called for China and Europe to “stay clear of geopolitical and ideological distractions” and work together.

But as recent Western media reports have shown, the Western world, especially the United States, seems skeptical of the narrative. Still, the vast majority of the world’s response to Wang’s speech has been positive.

From February 16 to 18, this year’s Munich Security Conference, an annual conference on international security policy held in Munich, Germany, since 1963, was overshadowed by pessimism and concerns about regional humanitarian crises.

The continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as well as global trends of protectionism and the abuse of the security concept have all sent shockwaves through the global economy; unilateralism and bloc politics are shattering the international system.

In this context, Wang’s keynote speech at the conference fully displayed China’s sense of a major country’s responsibility to pursue international peace and development.

At a time when the world is swayed by uncertainty, the country stands out as a strong force of certainty in international affairs, one able to bring stability and positive energy.

In early 2023, China facilitated the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, helping ease tensions in the Middle East. China also got actively involved in the mediation between Russia and Ukraine and released its official position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

The country has also contributed its ideas to the two-state solution, which envisages independent Israeli and Palestinian states peacefully coexisting, to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Adhering to the principle of objectivity and impartiality, China continues to inject positive energy into situations of turmoil, trying to bring a turbulent world back to the path of stability.

In China’s view, major-country competition is not the prevailing trend of current times, and that zero-sum games are not the right choice.

China has in recent years put forward initiatives on, for instance, global security and global development. The country is also pressing ahead with the Belt and Road Initiative, an initiative to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes proposed in 2013.

China is actively intensifying its global partnerships and seeking more common interests with the rest of the world. In 2023, China accounted for about a third of global economic growth.

It is now focusing on efforts to achieve Chinese-style modernization, abiding by principles such as equitable income distribution and ecological sustainability, promote high-quality development and expand institutional openness, thereby bringing more benefits to the world.

China firmly adheres to and practices multilateralism in the true sense, and upholds the common values of humanity. It supports the international system with the United Nations at its core and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, so as to push the global governance system in a fairer and more rational direction.

The past decades have shown that no matter how the international landscape changes, China has always played an active role in shouldering its due responsibilities by unwaveringly pursuing peace, development and win-win cooperation.

The country is working hard to promote the establishment of a new type of international relations and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

The prevailing atmosphere of anxiety at the Munich Security Conference reflected, to some extent, the flaws of the Western approach to security in the face of current global turmoil.

Why is China considered a reliable force for stability? Because while some are preoccupied with destroying or supporting destructive forces, China remains committed to repairing and building.