Hu Kaihong:
In the past three decades, China's armed forces have always aspired to fulfill their mission of meeting the responsibilities of a major country, safeguarding world peace, contributing to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and embarking on missions in this regard. As the white paper explained, China's armed forces participate in the UNPKOs, because the pursuit of peace is embedded deep in the genes of the Chinese nation; that the Chinese people care about the wellbeing of all humanity; that serving the people is the fundamental purpose of the people's armed forces; and that China honors its responsibilities as a major country. Throughout their participation in the UNPKOs, China's armed forces have always upheld the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter; closely followed the basic principles of the UNPKOs, championing the vision of global governance based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits; pursing common comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security; staying committed to peaceful means in settling disputes; and building stronger peacekeeping partnerships.
Over the past 30 years, China's armed forces have become a critical force in the UNPKOs. The white paper shows how China's armed forces have undertaken diversified tasks and missions, including ceasefire supervision, stabilizing volatile situations, protecting civilians, providing force protection, deploying enabling capabilities, and sowing the seeds of hope. They have made a tremendous contribution to facilitating the peaceful settlement of disputes, safeguarding regional security and stability, and promoting economic and social development in host nations. They have stood firm as a disciplined force for peace and justice.
In the past five years, China's armed forces have fully implemented the pledges announced by President Xi Jinping during the U.N. Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping. They have honored the commitments with real actions and tangible results and much important progress. The white paper notes that China's armed forces have expanded the composition of their peacekeeping troops from an initial single service into multiple military branches, enabling Chinese peacekeepers to perform diverse tasks in addition to enabling functions. The objectives of China's peacekeeping efforts have extended beyond conflict prevention to building lasting peace. As a result, the peacekeeping capacity of China's armed forces has been further strengthened.
Hu Kaihong:
World peace is the responsibility of all countries and peacekeeping calls for expanding multilateral cooperation. The white paper points out that China's armed forces has been actively working for greater international cooperation. They have cooperated in peacekeeping with over 90 countries and 10 international and regional organizations. They have enhanced mutual understanding, extended practical cooperation, strengthened bilateral and multilateral relations, and continuously promoted peacekeeping capability.
The world is going through profound changes unseen in a century, and there are diverse threats to world peace. The white paper notes that looking back through history, people are more keenly aware that peace has not come easily and to safeguard it requires great efforts. It stresses that, no matter how the international landscape may evolve, China will always strive to maintain world peace, promote global growth, and uphold international order. China's armed forces will always be a force of justice for world peace and development.
The white paper "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of U.N. Peacekeeping Operation" is published in eight languages – Chinese, English, French, Russian, German, Spanish, Arabic and Japanese. It is published respectively by People's Publishing House and Foreign Languages Press; and is available in Xinhua Bookstores across China.
That's all for the introduction. Next, let's give the floor to Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense.
