Here, I would like to speak to you about some basic values of the Chinese people. Without an understanding of these, it is difficult to make sense of present and future events in China.
The Chinese people have always respected the dignity and worth of human beings. The Communist Party of China led the people in revolution, construction and reform for the very purpose of realizing freedom, democracy and human rights for all the people of China. The great vitality displayed nowadays in China vividly demonstrates the tremendous space that the Chinese people have to freely and democratically exercise their creativity. China has a population of over 1.2 billion, but its social production is still not well developed, and we must first and foremost safeguard the people's rights to survival and development; otherwise we cannot even begin to talk about other rights. The fact that China has assured the rights to survival and development of over 1.2 billion people is a major contribution to the cause of the progress of human rights all over the world. The Chinese people advocate the close interlinking of collective human rights with individual human rights, of economic, social and cultural rights with citizens' political rights. This is the road we must take for the cause of promoting human rights in light of China's national conditions.
The Chinese people have always insisted on independence. They cherish the rights of independence that they have won over a long period of struggle, and they resolutely uphold the right of all people to enjoy these rights. We also believe that every country has the right to choose the social system, ideology, economic system and path of development that suit its national conditions. Countries with different social systems should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity; they should treat each other as equals and coexist peacefully. We oppose any efforts by any country to impose its own social system and ideology on another country.
The Chinese people have always loved freedom and peace. The Chinese people have suffered greatly from wars and invasions in modern times, and they feel deeply how precious peace is. As it engages in modernization, China needs a peaceful international environment. We hope that all people will be able to live in a world without war and without violence. China carries out a foreign policy with peace as its goal, and resolutely opposes any acts that endanger world peace. China's development does not pose a threat to anyone, instead, it will only help to advance world peace, stability and development. It is the Chinese people's solemn promise to the world never to seek hegemony.
The Chinese people have always prized national unity. To safeguard the unity of the motherland is the firm aspiration of the entire Chinese people. Hong Kong has already returned to the motherland; Macao will return on December 20 this year. It is certain that the Taiwan question will eventually be resolved. No country will allow its own territory to be split off, nor will it allow any foreign force to create or support such a split. Our guideline for solving the Taiwan question is "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems." In resolving the Taiwan question, we will not undertake to renounce the use of force precisely for the purpose of bringing about a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question. The Chinese people have both the determination and ability to achieve the complete reunification of their motherland. The series of recent severe earthquakes that occurred in the region of Taiwan weight heavily on the heart of everyone in China. I would like to take this opportunity to again express profound condolences to our compatriots in Taiwan who have suffered from the earthquakes.