Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a speech at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris, France, Aug 30, 2020. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

PARIS - The divergences between China and the United States are not about power, status or social system, but about the choices of multilateralism or unilateralism, win-win cooperation or a zero-sum game, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Sunday.

China's position is very clear, which is that all countries are equal members of the international community and enjoy the right to their own development, Wang said

Wang made the remarks when responding to a question by Thierry de Montbrial, president of French Institute of International Relations, about how to avoid the so-called "new Cold War" between China and the United States.

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China's position is very clear, which is that all countries are equal members of the international community and enjoy the right to their own development, Wang said.

"We congratulate the United States on its pioneered development. But China also has the right to development and the Chinese people have the right to live a happy life. Our brothers and sisters in other emerging economies and developing countries, including Africa, feel the same way. It is a very legitimate claim and very reasonable one," Wang said.

The top Chinese diplomat noted that China has always believed and maintained that the world is moving towards multi-polarity and that international relations also need democratization.

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A healthy and stable world should not be dictated by just one or two countries. The sovereign equality of states is a fundamental principle of the Charter of the United Nations. As a world power, the United States should adopt an inclusive attitude towards the development of other countries and realize that the people of other countries have the same right to a better life as the American people, he said.

"If all the seven billion people in the world can move towards modernization, it will be a huge step forward for the human society as a whole," he noted.

Wang added that the United States may be reluctant to give up its global dominance, but the tide of history is inexorable. "We firmly believe that the day of common development of mankind will come. China never wants a 'new Cold War' with anyone, and in the era of globalization, there is no room for a 'Cold War' as it is impossible to divide the world into two or three factions."

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Countries have become so interconnected as a community of shared interests that the future should see the world working together to build a community of shared future for mankind, as has been proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Resist hatred

China and the European Union (EU) should jointly resist the adverse tides of hatred and confrontation instigation, and stand firmly on the right side of history, Wang said.

Wang said the world has been undergoing changes which have rarely seen in a century, and the unexpected COVID-19 outbreak undoubtedly accelerated the changes.

"Currently, COVID-19 is eroding human life and health. The world has fallen into a deep recession. Global governance is facing serious dilemmas with huge tides of unemployment, bankruptcies and supply chain disruptions as well as the ever growing deficits in governance, development and trust," Wang said.

Facing the changes and the pandemic rarely seen in a century, mankind faces again the key choice of whether to go forward or backward, unite or divide, open up or close up, he said.

Anyone who attempts to go against the rolling trend of the times will be unpopular and can not go far, Wang said.

China-EU partnership

Although China and the European Union (EU) have different social systems, they should be comprehensive strategic partners rather than institutional rivals, Wang said.

Wang that China and the EU should further strengthen solidarity and cooperation, press the "reset button" for dialogue and cooperation in various fields, give full play to the "twin engines," and inject a strong impetus into international solidarity and cooperation.

He added that China and the EU should strive to build a partnership from the following four perspectives: building a partnership against COVID-19 and promote cooperation in post-epidemic economic recovery, strengthening investment partnership for mutual benefit and win-win results, building a green and digital partnership and expand new growth areas for bilateral cooperation, and deepening multilateral cooperative partnership and strengthen bilateral cooperation in international affairs.

Peaceful development

China will adhere to the path of peaceful, open, cooperative, win-win and inclusive development, Wang said.

"We will further expand domestic demand and open up wider, share more of China's development dividends with the world so as to drive the world's common recovery with our own recovery and drive the world's common development with our own development," he said.

Wang said China will continue to adhere to the path of peaceful development.

"China is not the Soviet Union back then, nor is it interested or possible to become the second United States. No matter how far we may develop, we will never seek hegemony or expansionism," he said.

Beneficial to world

Socialism with Chinese characteristics, China's path for development, has brought benefits to not only China, but also the whole world, Wang said.

Wang noted that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people have blazed the trail for their country's development and rejuvenation amid arduous exploration through thick and thin.

Inject more stability to the world

China and Europe should enhance cooperation to inject more elements of stability to the world, Wang Yi said.

Wang made the remarks while responding to a question by former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin following his speech at the French Institute of International Relations.

Wang agreed that nowadays the world faces increasing uncertainty and instability, particularly when the sole superpower has renounced its international responsibility and kept quitting international organizations and treaties, a situation hard for other countries, especially small and medium-sized countries, to adapt to.

"In this case, China and Europe, as two responsible forces, should indeed strengthen cooperation to inject more elements of stability to the world," said Wang.

"I really appreciate Mr. Raffarin's remarks that China and Europe should carry out concrete and effective cooperation. For example, it is fully possible that we complete the China-EU investment agreement negotiations within this year. This requires us to meet each other halfway and exert political influence in the final stage of the negotiations. We must seize this opportunity," he added.