Wang Yi urges G20 to be a force for global peace, stability

The G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting is being held in Johannesburg, South Africa, February 20, 2025. /VCG

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called on G20 countries to act as a force for world peace and stability.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in his speech at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Johannesburg, the largest city and economic hub of South Africa.

"As G20 foreign ministers gather here today, it is necessary to revisit the consensus reached at the Rio de Janeiro summit, work together as a force for world peace and stability, and build a safer world," he said, noting that China is ready to work with all parties towards that end.

"First, we should work together as guardians of world peace," said Wang. All countries should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as their independent choice of development path and social system, he stressed.

"We should resolve differences between countries peacefully through dialogue and negotiation, and resolve international and regional hotspot issues politically, without resorting to bloc confrontation or interfering in the internal affairs of other countries," he said, adding that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, promulgated by China and other countries from the Global South 70 years ago, still wield enormous vitality under the current circumstances.

"Second, we should work together as creators of universal security," Wang said. Mankind is a community with a shared future and an indivisible security community. The security of one country should not be at the expense of the security of others, and the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, he underlined.