CAMBRIDGE, Britain, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao said on Monday that cooperation to tide over global financial
difficulties is a "top priority" and urged people to "see China in the light of
development."
"To work together and tide over the difficulties has become our top priority," Wen said in his speech at the University of Cambridge, Britain, the last leg of his weeklong "trip of confidence" to Europe.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivers a
speech at University of Cambridge in Cambridge of Britain Feb. 2, 2009.
(Xinhua/Yao Dawei) Photo
Gallery>>>
Describing the crisis as "unprecedented," Wen said the upheaval has had a severe impact on China and Britain as well as other countries in Europe.
The premier reiterated the position of the Chinese
government, saying countries should first run their own affairs well and refrain
from shifting troubles onto others.
They also should carry out cooperation with full
sincerity and avoid pursuing their own interests at the expense of others, he
said.
Moreover, countries should address both the symptoms
and the root causes of the problem, Wen added.
Wen said necessary reform of the international
monetary and financial systems should be carried out to establish a new
international financial order that is fair, equitable, inclusive and
well-managed.
"We should create an institutional environment
conducive to global economic growth," he said.
In addition, Wen called for serious reflection on
existing economic systems and theories in the face of the current financial
crisis.
He said the international financial crisis once again
shows howdangerous a market economy without regulation can be. Since the 1990s,
some profit-driven financial institutions in economies lacking effective
regulation have raised massive capital with a leverage of dozens of times. While
they reaped huge profits, the world was exposed to enormous risks.
"This fully demonstrates that a totally unregulated
market economy cannot work," Wen said. "We must strike a balance between
financial innovation and regulation, between the financial sector and real
economy and between savings and consumption."
The premier also reiterated the role of morality in
effectively dealing with the crisis.
In his view, the loss of morality is an "underlying"
cause for the current crisis.
"Some people have sacrificed principle and sought
profits at the expense of public interests. They have crossed the moral
baseline," he said.
Wen urged all enterprises to take up their social
responsibilities, saying that "within the body of every businessman should flow
the blood of morality."
On China's development, Wen said the argument that a
big power is bound to seek hegemony does not apply to China.
"Seeking hegemony goes against China's cultural
tradition as well as the will of the Chinese people," Wen said, adding that
China's development does not harm or threaten anyone.
The premier pledged that China will be "a
peace-loving country, a country that is eager to learn from and cooperate with
others" and committed to building a harmonious world.
Wen cited the example of the well-known ancient
Chinese navigator Zheng He, who reached more than 30 countries in the
15thcentury, describing him as a true messenger of love and friendship.
He called on the world's countries to learn from the
cultures of one another and be more tolerant of those different from their own.
There are currently 300 million Chinese people
learning English and more than 1 million young Chinese studying abroad, the
premier said.
"Had we not learned from others' through exchanges
and enriched ourselves by drawing on other's experiences, we would not have
enjoyed today's prosperity and progress."
China, while trying to absorb foreign cultures and
renew itself in the process, will "remain open and receptive" in pursuing a
prosperous and harmonious future, Wen said.
He stressed the importance of seeing China with a
view of development in the changing world, calling on more people, including
students and scholars from the University of Cambridge, to turn their eyes to
China and see the country in the light of its development.
On China-EU relations, Wen said that cooperation
between China and the EU is now standing at a new historical starting point,
saying he is "all the more confident about the China-EU comprehensive strategic
partnership."
Prior to the speech, Wen presented to the University
of Cambridge a China Digital Library, a collection of more than 200,000 e-books
published in China that cover China's political and economic life, history and
culture.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) receives
an interview by Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, in London,
Britain, Feb. 1, 2009. Wen is on a three-day official visit to Britain,
the last leg of his week-long European tour. (Xinhua/Yao
Dawei) Photo
Gallery>>>
LONDON, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said
Sunday that he is confident China will weather the global economic crisis,
calling for cooperation to tackle the financial storm.
The confidence comes from a correct judgment of the
current situation, Wen said in an interview with the Financial Times. Full story
LONDON, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- China and Britain on Monday
issued a joint statement, agreeing to strengthen cooperation and actively deal
with the international financial crisis.
As two of the world's leading economies, China and Britain
are crucial players in addressing the unstable economic climate, according to
the joint statement issued after talks between visiting Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Full story
