On July 14th, political parties of several countries held a video conference themed “role of responsible political forces in maintaining international security in the context of the COVID-19”. The conference was initiated by the United Russia Party. Dmitry Medvedev, Chairman of the United Russia Party and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, attended and addressed the conference. Guests attending the event also included political heavyweights from over ten countries including Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, Serbia, South Africa and Vietnam. Song Tao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), attended the conference upon invitation and delivered a speech.

In his speech, Medvedev said that the COVID-19 has had a serious impact on countries all over the world. Faced with the economic downturn, rising unemployment, social unrest and cyber security caused by the pandemic, countries should better safeguard the safety of their citizens, support the World Health Organization in playing an important role, and conduct international cooperation on the basis of international law. At present, some countries are pursuing national egoism and creating political competitions among countries in pandemic prevention and control and vaccine development. This is not conducive to maintaining the health and safety of the people, nor to world peace and stability. As responsible political forces, political parties of all countries should adhere to the values of solidarity and humanitarianism, strengthen dialogue and coordination in the field of security, promote international cooperation through inter-party exchanges, and contribute political strength to meeting the common challenges of mankind.

Song briefed on the philosophy of putting the people’s interests first and noting is more precious than people’s lives upheld by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. Giving top priority to safeguarding people's lives and health, we have taken effective measures and achieved major strategic results in the fight against COVID-19, and actively participated in international cooperation against the virus. Song noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously impacted the world, but has also deepened the international community’s understanding of people’s safety, and overall and common security. As the source of domestic and foreign policies, political parties should consciously assume the responsibility of political leadership, take the lead in practicing multilateralism and supporting the important role of UN agencies, abandon the zero-sum and Cold War mentalities, and strive to build an international security architecture featuring fairness, justice, joint contribution and shared benefits. The CPC is ready to work with other political parties to build world peace, contribute to global development and uphold the international order, to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Speaking highly of the Chinese people’s successful response to the pandemic led by the CPC, political parties present at the conference thanked the Chinese side for providing support and assistance to their fight against the disease through inter-party channel. They noted that such moves showcase the mission of a major country and the responsibility of a major political party. They also expressed the readiness to work with the CPC to promote international anti-pandemic cooperation so as to safeguard world peace, stability and security.

Qian Hongshan, Vice-minister of the IDCPC, was present.

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