Xi's address raises peace, unity hopes

Experts laud president's emphasis on global cooperation in New Year speech

Chinese President Xi Jinping's New Year address has brought brighter hopes for global cooperation and greater unity for world peace, analysts and scholars say.

In his New Year message on Sunday to ring in 2024, the Chinese president reiterated international cooperation for a better planet. "No matter how the global landscape may evolve, peace and development remain the underlying trend, and only cooperation for mutual benefit can deliver," Xi said.

Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, executive director of the Center for South Asia and International Studies in Islamabad, said the speech offers the world a comprehensive model of community development.

The president's commitments to work with the international community for the resolution of conflicts to achieve the optimal levels of the common good of humanity, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and make the planet a better place for all cover aspects like economic globalization, world justice, and economic recovery in the new year.

Xi's message emphasizes the ethical principle of efforts to build a community of all life on Earth, advocating the development and prosperity of both one's own country and others, and creating a win-win situation for a world of peaceful coexistence, said Takakage Fujita, secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement — a Japanese civic group dedicated to upholding the 1995 Murayama Statement that admits Japan's wartime mistakes.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. On this significant occasion, China is committed to actively contributing to high, large and challenging goals, such as world peace, improving the lives of global citizens, and advancing the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity, Fujita said.

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, chief executive officer of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development in Pakistan, said the address points to China being ready to share prosperity with the world by deepening reforms and opening-up, promoting peace and harmony among civilizations, and implementing a fair and just global system to achieve the goal of a community with a shared future for present and future generations.

Lawrence Loh, professor and director of the National University of Singapore's Centre for Governance and Sustainability, described Xi's message as "inspirational", setting the right tone for countries to unite and strengthen human welfare and social growth worldwide. Peaceful coexistence and, most importantly, mutual respect should be the cornerstone of international interactions in 2024, he said.

Loh said 2024 will be a pivotal year for global progress amid geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges. As a major world power, China will have a critical role in advancing continued development across various continents and regions.

Responsibility fulfilled

Xi noted in his address that China has embraced the world and fulfilled its responsibility as a major country.

Narongsak Putthapornmongkol, president of the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said the world has scaled new heights with dogged determination, and new creations and innovations are emerging every day. "China is speaking with facts that the country is pursuing its development while fulfilling its responsibility as a major power," Narongsak said.

In boosting green development in Southeast Asia, he highlighted China's contributions, such as new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products, as a new testimony to China's manufacturing prowess.

Thailand and Southeast Asia have confidence in future cooperation with China, and look forward to joining hands in building a community with a shared future for mankind, Narongsak said.

Hussein Maklad, professor of international relations at Damascus University in Syria, said Xi highlighted China's commitment to peaceful development and modernization drive.

The Chinese president said that China will work closely with the international community for the common good of humanity, Maklad noted.

A key message from the Chinese leader is that despite all the difficulties worldwide, China is still an open economy, said Digby James Wren, senior special adviser and director of the Mekong Research Center at the Royal Academy of Cambodia's Institute of International Relations.

He said Xi's speech also highlighted the main elements of Chinese public diplomacy and foreign policy. "It's clear that China will embark on a much larger, deeper diplomatic push through 2024 to resolve the existing problems," said Wren, noting he sees a real push toward a multipolar world.

Salman Bashir, former Pakistani ambassador to China, also found Xi's New Year message inspiring. Bashir was impressed that while recounting China's splendid accomplishments, Xi emphasized peace and development as the underlying trend, and that only cooperation for mutual benefit can deliver.

Yang Han and Jan Yumul in Hong Kong contributed to the story.