Tang made the remarks when addressing a meeting on China's achievements in reform, opening-up and modernization since the fourth plenary session of the 13th CPC Central Committee was held in 1989.

Tang said that at a historic juncture of both international changes and domestic modernization drive, the CPC leadership, with the overwhelming majority of Chinese people's fundamental interests in mind, had guided diplomacy, making great contributions to modernization, reunification, world peace, common development, and the fight against hegemony.

The number of countries with which China had diplomatic ties had increased from 137 to 165 for the last 13 years, creating a favorable international environment for the country's domestic construction, he said.

During this period, China resumed exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macao, making historic breakthroughs in national reunification, Tang said, adding that China had upheld the banner of international peace, cooperation and development, played the role of a responsible major power, and greatly boosted the development of mankind's progressive causes.

The foreign minister classified the diplomatic achievements into three phases, with the opening of the fourth plenary session of the 13th CPC Central Committee till 1993 as the first phase, when China's diplomacy withstood the upheavals of the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe as well as the test of western countries' sanctions, remaining calm in vicissitudes and creating favorable international conditions for domestic reforms.

Tang regarded the period from 1994 to the opening of the 15th CPC national congress in 1997 as the second phase, when China further improved its international standing, consolidating friendships with neighbors, deepening solidarity and cooperation with developing countries, improving relations with western nations, taking an active international role and safeguarding its own interests, and making historic progress in national reunification.

"In the five years since 1997, the third phase, China's diplomacy was unprecedentedly active, establishing its distinctive global role as a major socialist power, and creating even more favorable international conditions for development," Tang said.

Tang elaborated in particular on the diplomatic achievements in these five years.

He said that China had properly coped with such incidents as the Asian financial crisis, the south Asia nuclear tests, the Kosovo conflict and the September 11 terrorist attacks, playing the role of a responsible major power.

Facing the new century, China had developed comprehensive foreign policies, which included strengthening strategic peripheral dependency, establishing stable major-power relations, and cooperating with developing countries to further cement China's diplomatic footholds, Tang said.

In addition, China had promoted dialogue and cooperation, safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. Actively participating in multilateral activities with the United Nations as the center, China had thus facilitated its UN and Security Council roles in maintaining international peace and security.

The country had also actively promoted international economic, environmental and social cooperation, and become involved in Asia-Pacific and Asia-Europe cooperation. Advocating and practicing a new security policy, it had promoted world peace and security.

Tang said China had enhanced economic diplomacy to protect its economic interests and security, and pushed for a greater say in international economic rule-making, which, together with the strategy of developing the country's western part, created favorable conditions for national economic construction.

Sticking to the policy of "peaceful reunification" and "one China, two systems", China had also promoted national reunification, said Tang. While striving to develop relations across the Taiwan Strait, it had never relaxed its opposition to separatist activities.

Constantly exposing Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian's separatist motives, China had informed the world of the sensitiveness of the Taiwan issue and danger of its "independence", Tang said, adding most countries had reiterated their "one China" stances.

"Taiwan's separatist attempts to edge into the UN and the World Health Organization have been repeatedly thwarted," the minister said.

Tang said China's firm defense of national sovereignty and dignity had never stopped. Since 1990, some western countries had made ten anti-China proposals in the UN Commission on Human Rights. Uniting and relying on developing countries and actively communicating with western nations, China had beaten all their attempts to interfere in its domestic affairs under the guise of human rights, he said.

China had also won more understanding and support from the international community over Tibet-related affairs and the Falungong cult, quashing several trouble-making attempts by Falungong practitioners on significant international occasions.

Tang said China's diplomatic achievements should be attributed to the country's rapidly growing national strength, mass support, and to the CPC's wise decision-making and direction.

"For the past 13 years, the CPC's third-generation leadership with Jiang at the core has inherited and creatively developed Deng Xiaoping's diplomatic thoughts, and, with the future in mind, has proposed a complete range of international strategies and policies to usher China's diplomacy into a new phase," the minister said.

Tang summarized the strategies and policies as:

Firstly, that peace and development were the themes of the times, providing a rationale for China's diplomatic policies in the new century.

Secondly, that the proper handling of the world trend towards multipolarity and economic globalization pointed the direction for China's diplomacy.

Thirdly, that the beginning of the new century provided an important strategic opportunity for China's development, offering guidelines for the country's diplomacy.

Fourthly, that the new security view must be based on mutual trust, reciprocity, equality and cooperation, allowing China's diplomacy to create a stable and reliable international environment.

Fifthly, that respect for the world's diversity ensured the long-term, harmonious co-existence of all nations, allowing China to fight hegemony and power politics, and promote international exchanges and cooperation.

Sixthly, that attention should be paid to enhancing comprehensive national strength, which was the underlying cause of China's successful diplomacy.

The strategies and policies also included that long-term and stable cooperative relations should be developed between major powers, in line with which China had established partnerships of various kinds, consolidating friendships with surrounding countries, making neighbor relations the best since the founding of new China, Tang said.

They stressed strengthening solidarity and cooperation with developing countries to enhance China's traditional friendships, proposing an active role in multilateral diplomatic activities to expand China's influence in the international arena. They also urged improved friendship between the Chinese people and peoples the world over.

Meanwhile, the thoughts and policies asked for caution towards hostile forces' attempts to "westernize" or separate China with ethnic or religious issues, making new requirements on safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity under new circumstances, Tang said.

He said the diplomatic theories and practice advocated and implemented by the CPC's third-generation leadership with Jiang at the core were the embodiment of the "three represents", and reflected the party's dedication to free the mind and seek the truth, and its capacity to handle complex situations.

Tang expressed his belief that China's diplomacy in the new century would further contribute to the national construction, reunification, and world peace and development.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2002)