Peaceful growth the only path

Editor's note: Wu Jianmin, executive vice-chairman of the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy and former Chinese ambassador to France, summarized China's diplomacy in the past year in a recent interview with China Daily reporter Wu Jiao. Excerpts from the interview follow:

Q1: How would you summarize the characteristics of China's diplomacy in the past year and what were the highlights?

A: China's diplomacy has displayed three major characteristics since the new leadership took office.