State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Dec 11 that the safety and security of every Chinese citizen overseas is a concern for China.

“For any bullying behavior that infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, China will never sit idly by and will spare no effort to safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese citizens and the justice of the world,” Wang added.

Wang made the remarks at the 2018 Symposium on International Development and China’s Diplomacy in Beijing on Dec 11.

On international situation, he mentioned the world is facing growing destabilizing and uncertain factors in 2018.

Guided by Xi Jinping’s thought on China’s diplomacy, we are committed to putting the guiding principles of the Congress (19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China) into practice, making new endeavors and achieving notable results, Wang noted.

In 2019, we will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Wang said, adding that the country will continue to deepen friendship and cooperation with countries across the world, and actively safeguard the regional and global peace and stability.

On Sino-US relations, Wang said the two attracted the attention of the world and concerned the interests of all countries.

Faced with the negative trend of trade frictions provoked by the US, China firmly defends national interests, national dignity and development rights, firmly upholds the rules-based multilateral trading system and firmly pursues a solution based on mutual respect along with an equal and candid dialogue.

It has been 40 years since China and the US issued the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations and this year also marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy.

Wang said the ups and downs of the bilateral ties over the past 40 years have indicated that cooperation is beneficial to both sides, while confrontation is harmful to both sides as well.

“If China and the US cooperate, it will benefit both countries and the world. If China and the US confront each other, there will be no winners and the whole world will suffer,” he added.