On September 27, 2014, Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a statement at the General Debate of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly. He pointed out that this year marks the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. Next year will be the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The UN was established to keep the scourge of the two world wars from occurring again and it embodies the fervent hope of all countries for peace and stability.

In this world, we should treat each other as equals. The principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld. The pursuit by different countries of economic and social development must be respected. Their right to independently choose their own social systems and development paths must be safeguarded.

We should be open and inclusive. Only by being open and inclusive can we open the door of dialogue and exchange and achieve harmony among countries with different social systems, religions and cultural traditions.

We should pursue mutually beneficial cooperation. A country should align its own interests with those of others and work to expand areas where their interests converge. Only by helping each other can countries prosper. We should jointly initiate a new thinking for win-win and all-win progress and reject the old notion of zero-sum game or “the winner takes all”.

We should uphold justice. It is imperative to promote greater democracy and rule of law in international relations, use fair and just rules to tell right from wrong and settle disputes, and pursue peace and development within the framework of international law. All parties should jointly uphold the authority and effectiveness of the UN and reform and improve the global governance structure.