During two sessions of this year, the State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, has held a media conference that attracted wide attention of global media. The past year has seen growing pressure imposed by America on China, making the bilateral relation reach a crossroads. Meanwhile, there have exited varying international comments and speculations about whether China unveils major changes in its diplomatic policy and how China deals with HUAWEI affair. In such a special time node, the councilor Wang still elaborates on and answer reporters’ questions in a consistently calm manner, which embodies the truth that a more powerful China enjoys much more confidence and consciousness. That also demonstrates the defining features of China being mild and modest as a new powerhouse indeed.

China defines its peace-oriented attitude as it that influential and confident China will unhurriedly resort to legal means to safeguard lawful rights and interests of its own enterprises and people when encountering external pressures including American trade rift. In the meantime, although China is subject to unequal treatments of some countries, we still continue to pursue mutual benefits, cooperation and win-win outcomes regardless of withholding any dialogue and taking tit-for-tat measures. As a major nation, China is willing to accommodate others’ mistakes and remove our spats. The history teaches us that a major country doesn’t rely on its large territory, huge population and strong strength but justice and rightness. In this connection, the bounden duty always requires us not to put national interest on the priority list, impose sanctions, blockades and even military strikes on weak ones arbitrarily. On the contrary, major ones should keep a responsible manner, maintain a good temper and prioritize equality when negotiating with others.

The past experiences and lessons of China ourselves and other countries tell us that cooperation can persistently maximize interests between states instead of confrontation. We understand this truth and put it into practice and spare no efforts to pass on the spirit of China which embraces win-win cooperation to the international community.

Some western scholars have unforgettable and miserable impressions of the Peloponnesian War that destroyed ancient Greek civilization two thousand years ago. Consequently, they put forward the theory of the “Thucydides’s Trap”. Given our profound deposits of civilization for five thousand years, a well as reflection on the vicissitude of major countries in past five centuries, China has well prepared to avoid this trap. However, conflict can be launched by single side while kindness can only be transmitted though our hands. Amid the background of surging uncertainties, the good news for the international community is that China maintains high degree of national confidence, strategic concentration and self-restraint manner. The reason for the global prizes for China is that we don’t blindly follow others’ steps and never allow private gains to rule our minds at all costs.

China doesn’t implement its peace-oriented foreign philosophy only, but also actively handle relations with major countries and surrounding nations such as America, Philippine, Vietnam, Japan, India, Australia, Canada and so on. We have delivered fruitful outcomes, what’s more, we even promote such ancient wisdom of the East at the regional and global level.

When it comes to the standoff between India and Pakistan, frictions in the African jungle, on-going upheavals of Venezuela in Latin America and uncertainties of Korean Peninsula, busy Chinese diplomats and peace-keeping staff can be found everywhere. That showcases our international duties as a responsible rising power, as well as the philosophy that ends all wars and promotes peace and progress at all corners of the world with our own endeavor.

Thus, China differs from any power or empire in the history of mankind as this new type of power is overwhelmed with virtues and pursues the long-established eastern wisdom of peace which still stays as strong. Nowadays, we don’t depend on advanced weapons, opium exports, military intervention and financial hegemony, but embrace the principle of tolerance, equality and win-win outcomes. It represents the ultimate target for us to forge ahead along the prosperous road of the community of shared benefits for mankind irrespective of size and strength of countries worldwide.

This article is originally published on RDCY wechat account, translated by Kuang Chuang, a trainee at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.