China will make unremitting efforts to promote world peace and development, besides safeguarding its own national security and development interests, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.

He made the remarks in a video speech at a conference commemorating the 20th anniversary of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association and the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China at the United Nations. 

China adheres to peaceful development and multilateralism, Wang said, adding that China has so far participated in more than 20 international arms control treaties and mechanisms, comprehensively fulfilling its obligations under each treaty and firmly upholding the authority and effectiveness of multilateral arms control treaties. 

China actively promotes political solutions to non-proliferation hotspot issues, he stressed. 

China promoted the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1172 on the nuclear tests of India and Pakistan, advocated the opening of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, made important contributions to the Iran nuclear agreement, and participated in the resolution of the Syrian chemical weapons issue, Wang said. 

The foreign minister said China will continue to pursue an approach of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and provide support to deal with differences and disputes via dialogues and negotiations. 

Wang said China will strengthen strategic security dialogue with important world powers, build stable strategic security relations among major powers, and join hands to build a collective cooperation mechanism that effectively responds to new types of security challenges. 

At the same time, China will resolutely oppose any infringement on its territorial integrity and sovereignty, oppose any move that undermines the country's legitimate strategic security interests, and firmly defend its legitimate security and development interests, Wang stressed. 

China will play to its strengths and put forward its initiatives and contribute Chinese wisdom to maintain global strategic security, he continued. 

"We will strive to build an arms control theory system with unique Chinese characteristics, coalesce the consensus of all countries, and conform to the historical trend, so as to create a favorable environment for promoting countries to jointly follow the road of peaceful development and play a unique role in carrying out great power diplomacy with Chinese characteristics," he said.

(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a video speech at a conference commemorating the 20th anniversary of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association and the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China at the United Nations, September 15, 2021. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)