The ninth Paris Peace Forum was held in the French capital on November 10-11. During the forum, China's global impact emerged as a key theme. 

With a focus on reinforcing multilateral cooperation to confront global challenges across security, climate, technology and development, the forum featured discussions on how nations must strengthen cooperation while preserving sovereignty to effectively address worldwide crises.

Kong Quan, the executive director of the Sixth China Economic and Social Council, former deputy director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and former Chinese ambassador to France, attended the forum and spoke at a session titled "Making Sense of China's Global Role and Impact." 

In his remarks, Kong outlined "responsibility," "mutual respect," "multilateralism" and "cooperation based on respect for sovereignty" as four key terms that help better understand China's foreign policy.

Kong said China has a primary responsibility to promote its own economic and social development, which also benefits the rest of the world. China advocates mutually beneficial cooperation based on the principle of "harmony without uniformity," while firmly safeguarding its national interests, he added. 

Noting that China opposes bloc confrontation and advocates multilateralism, Kong said China supports the international system centered on the United Nations, and calls for greater representation and a stronger voice for Global South countries in international affairs.

He also stressed that sovereignty and cooperation are not mutually exclusive and China respects the sovereignty of all countries and takes their legitimate security concerns seriously. 

China is a trustworthy and strategically stable partner, Kong said, that honors its commitments and consistently creates opportunities for countries to pursue development and expand international cooperation. 

It stands ready to work with all parties to advance the implementation of the Global Governance Initiative and build a more just and equitable system of global governance, Kong emphasized.

Held under the theme "From sovereignty to cooperation," the two-day forum brings together more than 350 global speakers across more than 80 discussion sessions. The agenda spans four primary tracks: peace and geopolitics, the planet, development, and emerging technologies.