28 February 2023
Welcome to today’s Press Salon held by Chinese Consulate-General in Brisbane. As a Chinese saying goes, listen to both parties and you’ll be enlightened. Thus I wish to enhance our communication and mutual-understanding. A journalist is known as the “uncrowned king”, and shoulders the crucial responsibility to let readers and audiences be inclusive. Here are some of my views on today’s topic. I look forward to an open and free discussion afterwards.
New Journey, New Mission
China’s new journey is to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation to all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. China has a huge population, accounting for one-fifth of world population indeed. Chinese government applies people-centred human rights philosophy, advances whole-process people’s democracy, and is fully endorsed by Chinese people. This is one of the most successful human rights stories in the world. Chinese modernization, which is to make lives better for the Chinese people, will bring human rights development into golden time and onto a higher stage.
Chinese human rights development has achieved fruitful outcomes. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese nation has found its feet and become prosperous, and is now on the way to becoming strong. Every step is the unprecedented progress and a giant leap forward. In 2021, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, we announced the eradication of extreme poverty, and that China has completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. This is another milestone not only in China’s human rights development, but also in the world human rights cause. Measured by Human Development Index, China has made historic progress in life expectancy, education, living standard, poverty eradication, gender equality, etc.
A very strange phenomenon in today’s international politics, however, is that the West dare not face up to China’s human rights achievements. On the one hand, modernization in the US, UK and other western countries is fueled by the colonialization, pillage, oppression and slavery of other peoples. Nonetheless, since the Second World War, they’ve been keen on practicing double standards and abusing unilateral sanctions, launching wars purportedly for democracy and human rights, which brings nothing but mass casualties of innocent people and human rights disasters too numerous to record.
On the other hand, fearing the success of China’s human rights cause may impair their hegemony over human rights, the US and some other western countries would rather not face squarely China’s human rights progress. They are in the habit of lecturing other countries and weaponizing human rights issues. Coating the hegemony in the disguise of human rights agenda items, they use it as a tool to interfere with other countries’ internal affairs. Many western politicians find China’s human rights record has nothing to boast, and are taking every opportunity to launch vile attacks on China, on the CPC.
History is not far from us when the western countries, armed with gunboats, did drug trafficking to erode Chinese people, colonized and invaded China. Have they cared about China’s human rights at that time? How can we expect human rights in a poor and divided China? What can then support the core of human rights, which include the right to subsistence, development, health and choice.
The so-called “democracy versus authoritarianism” narrative is another fallacy hyped up by the West. The US plays the ideology card through the “Summit for Democracy”, putting together value-based alliance group and trying to contain China. It’s doomed to fail.
The essence of democracy is people’s right to choice. There are no two identical leaves in the world. The human societies are even more varied. Every country has its own history, cultural heritage and national conditions, which will in no way lead to the same form of democracy. There isn’t a set form of democracy in the world. Are the democracies in the US, the UK and Australia all the same?
How their people choose the system is the country’s domestic affair. To respect democracy, one needs to respect each country’s right to explore and choose their own development paths in accordance with the national conditions. Leadership of the CPC is the choice made and fully endorsed by Chinese people.
The US, a self-claimed “beacon of democracy”, is applying an authoritarian diplomatic policy. Over the years, the US has brought intimidation, turmoil and unrest to the international society as it seeks to export and impose its form of democracy on others. In the name of exercising rule-based international order, the US indeed pursues a dictating, might-is-right power politics, sends out a clear message that whoever follows it will survive and whoever defies it shall perish. Being a “super sanction power”, the US has imposed sanctions on numerous developing countries, of which the huge scope and long duration shall make people speechless. That severely harms democracy and human rights in relevant countries.
China is committed to the path of peaceful development and upholds our sovereignty and territorial integrity. Over the past 70 plus years since the founding of New China, we have never started a conflict, occupied one inch of foreign land or started a proxy war. China has the best peace record among major powers. China puts forward the Global Security Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, advances the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, actively offers global public goods. These are welcomed by the international society.
Tests and Opportunities in China-Australia Relations
Thanks to both sides’ efforts, currently the China-Australia relationship is on the right track. In November last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a successful meeting in Bali, opening a new chapter for bilateral relations. The two countries also held the sixth China-Australia Foreign and Strategic Dialogue. The two sides agreed to a relationship based on mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and navigating differences, and explore the formation of a road map for improving and developing China-Australia relations. Chinese Commerce Minister and Australian Trade Minister had a video conference recently. Australia looks forward to the return of Chinese students and tourists.
In the meantime, China-Australia relations are still faced with tests. The first is how to shape Australia self-cognition. Australia is located in the Asia-Pacific region, which should give it more knowledge of the region. Whereas Australia’s ideology and culture identify with the Anglo-Saxon ones, being more close to the West. Long has Australia been confined to this identity dilemma and anxiety: bridging the East and the West or be the Trojan horse?
The second is to reshape an objective perception on China. Both China and Australia situate in the Asia Pacific region, having unique advantages and differences. The 50 plus years of China-Australia relations have made significant achievements and established comprehensive strategic partnership, showing that mutual respect and harmony in diversity are the largest possible common ground on developing bilateral relations. Review the past and one shall know the future. What tests us is that China could be an opponent or a partner as how Australia sees China.
Australia is born with a sense of insecurity. Some Australian media fabricate and exaggerate news, hyping up “China threat”. There are no fundamental conflicting interests between China and Australia. Instead, peaceful coexistence and mutual respect are reality rather than just expectation. In fact, what frightens Australia is “the US threat” rather than “China threat”. As Australia’s fear comes not only from losing protection from the US but also from the US’s bludgeon.
China does not export poverty, decoupling, wars and only creates opportunity and prosperity. China is the the participant, constructor, contributor and defender of the current international system. China has become the largest troop contributor to peacekeeping operations among the five permanent members of the Security Council. China meets its UN Sustainable Development Goals in poverty alleviation ten years ahead of schedule, contributing over 70 percent to global poverty reduction. As world’s second largest economy, China is an engine of growth for the world economy, promoting a more balanced and fully developed global social economy.
According to World Bank’s report, during 2013 to 2021, China contributed up to 38.6 per cent on average to world economic growth, more than the G7 countries combined. China’s economy has been extensively and deeply integrated into the global economy, advanced a broader agenda of opening up across more areas and in greater depth and become the major trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions. China will stay on the course of high-level opening-up, example of which is the official application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The world is vast with a myriad of souls. The US and the West cannot represent the whole world, nor can they dictate the human civilization development by their authority.
China is a train bound for spring not to be missed.
Thank you.