Oslo, June 11th—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended here today the High-Level Lecture Session of the Oslo Forum and delivered a keynote speech on the theme of "Bridges of dialogue: China’s role in global mediation and peacemaking." Espen Barth Eide, Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs and others attended the event. The session was chaired by David Harland, Executive Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, the co-host of the forum. About 120 people—including government officials, think tank scholars, and representatives from international and non-governmental organizations of more than 50 countries and regions attended the event. 

Liu said, the Chinese nation is a peace-loving nation. More than two thousand years ago, the ancient Chinese put forward a series of ideas centered on peace. In modern times, the Chinese people suffered from deep disasters and knew well that peace is hard-won. The People's Republic of China, since its founding in 1949, has been committed to the path of peaceful development. China contributes the largest number of peacekeeping personnel among all the permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council and is the second largest funder to UN peacekeeping missions. China has not provoked a single war or conflict. China has stated on many occasions that no matter how strong China becomes, it will never seek hegemony, expansion, sphere of influence, or engage in arms race. China is the only country that has pledged not to use nuclear weapons first, and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-weapon-free zones. In the new era, China has become an important force for maintaining world peace. 

Liu said, over a period of time, the basic norms of international relations have been challenged, globalization has encountered headwinds, unilateralism has been on the rise, power politics has run rampant, and local conflicts and turmoil have occurred frequently. Certainty and stability have become something scarce. We must stay in solidarity, remain united in face of these challenges and inject stability and certainty to the turbulent world. When it comes to disputes and conflicts, China upholds the principles of sovereign equality, fairness and justice, solidarity and coordination, multilateralism, and respect for international rule of law, and advocated promoting political solutions through dialogue and consultation. More than 120 countries and international organizations support the Global Security Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping. China supports the UN in playing a central role in conflict mediation, and calls on countries to do their bit for humanitarian assistance. 

Liu expounded on China's positions and propositions on the Ukraine crisis, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as issues related to Myanmar, the Korean Peninsula, and the South China Sea. He said, in the fast changing world, peace and security require the joint efforts of all. China is willing to work hand in hand with all peace-loving countries and people around the world to jointly implement the three global initiatives and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China calls on all countries to support the Global Development Initiative, uphold the vision of common development, promote free trade, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and work together to build a development pattern that is inclusive, balanced, coordinated, win-win, and beneficial to all. China calls on all countries to support the Global Security Initiative, uphold the new vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and resolve differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation in a peaceful manner. China calls on all countries to support the Global Civilization Initiative, appreciate the unique wisdom of each civilization with an open mind, and promote human advancement and world peace through dialogue, exchange, and mutual learning. China calls on all countries to jointly practice true multilateralism, firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, and accelerate the building of a more just and reasonable global governance system. China is willing to work with all parties to build more bridges of dialogue and make more contributions to mediation and peacemaking. 

During the Q&A session, Liu answered questions on the Ukraine crisis, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Yemeni issue, and the role of women in maintaining peace and promoting reconciliation, and expounded on China's positions and views.