China at 70 aims to strive for lead role in post-cold war international order, Foreign Minister Wang Yi says

China would strive for a lead role in reshaping the post-cold war international order led by the United States, while vigorously protecting its expanding national interest and warding off foreign interference in its affairs, according to Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

In an article published by Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Monday, Wang said China’s relations with the world had seen historic changes over the past 70 years, with its global standing elevated to a new high and its diplomatic activism widely recognised.

Wang also claimed victory in steadying relations with major powers around the world, despite growing tensions over trade and other geopolitical rifts that had plunged Beijing’s ties with the US and major European nations into their worst downward spiral in decades.

“Historic progress has been made in terms of improving China’s external environment,” he said, joining other senior party officials in singing the party’s praises ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic on October 1.

According to Wang, who is also a state councillor, Sino-Russian relations based on comprehensive strategic cooperation had hit a historic high, thanks to closer ties between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.