Question: In his article published in the Foreign Affairs magazine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted that China’s rise does not warrant isolating Beijing or curbing cooperation. He added that he doesn’t subscribe to the view that the dawn of a new cold war is approaching, one that will pit the US against China. Do you have any response to that?

We noted Chancellor Scholz’s views in the article.

China’s foreign policy stands for world peace and common development. China is committed to friendly cooperation with countries across the world. Facts have shown that China’s development contributes to the world’s force for peace. It energizes and creates opportunities for global development.

Isolating China and curbing cooperation with it serves no one’s interest. In this day and age, the tide of economic globalization is a trend that cannot be turned back and the world needs more win-win cooperation. China has been deeply integrated into the world economy and the international system, and the world will not go back to the days of mutual exclusiveness and division. It is impossible for any country to prosper behind closed doors. Pushing for decoupling and disruption of industrial and supply chains and building “small yards with high fences” benefits no one and will eventually backfire. 

China cannot develop in isolation from the world, and the world also needs China for its prosperity. China will continue to pursue high-level opening up and share development opportunities with other countries. As President Xi Jinping noted in his meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, China has upheld and promoted world peace through its own development. In this process, the development of China and that of other countries have become more interconnected and mutually reinforcing.