Vice President of the People's Republic of China, Li Yuanchao, called for respecting the right of all people to choose for them any social system and path of development that they feel is right for them.
“All countries have different domestic conditions, so their development is also different. The right of all people to choose for themselves regardless of the social system and path of development must be respected. Following the same path of development should not be a precondition for good bilateral relations. Neither the size, nor level of wealth should be seen as superiority” said Li Yuanchao, speaking at the opening ceremony of the 4th World Peace Forum in Beijing.
Yuanchao further stressed that all should respect each other, apply the principle of equality and "promote friendly exchanges to lay a foundation for mutual trust in order to achieve peace and security," reports RIA Novosti.
"We respect our separate development paths and forms of governance. We support each other’s efforts to secure our vested interests and respect each other’s concerns," the minister said.
He went on to describe Russian-Chinese cooperation to safeguard international laws and principles enshrined in the UN Charter.
The World Peace Forum is the first non-governmental forum in China on security issues. Organizer of the event is Tsinghua University. It is attended by scientists, experts in the field of international relations and security, as well as a number of prominent political figures from different countries.