Strive for a Long-Term and Peaceful International Environment

In the mid-1950s, the Central Committee of the CPC made it clear that China's socialist construction needed a long-term international peace environment, and that it was possible to strive for a longer-term peaceful international environment. Under the guidance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China's foreign relations developed rapidly in various forms.

On August 24, 1954, Mao Zedong met with a delegation of the British Labour Party headed by Erdely at the Qinzheng Hall of Zhongnanhai and said, "I see that the international situation is good now", "China is an agricultural country, it will take decades to become an industrial country, it needs help from all sides, and first of all, it needs a peaceful environment. It is not good to fight many wars, and raising many soldiers will hinder economic construction. If you agree, we need to create a peaceful international environment. I think that's what Britain and France need. Our country is still very poor, and it would be good if we could get a few decades of peace.”

On March 22, 1955, Liu Shaoqi, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee, stated his views on the international situation at the National Congress of the Party, proposing that "our socialist construction needs a long-term international peace environment."

On April 23, Zhou Enlai made a statement at the Asia-Africa Conference: “The Chinese people are friendly with the American people. The Chinese people do not want to go to war with the United States. The Chinese government is willing to sit down and negotiate with the U.S. government to discuss the issue of reducing tensions in the Far East, especially in the Taiwan area.”

On May 26, Mao Zedong further stressed during his meeting with Indonesian Prime Minister Ali Sastroamidjojo: "We have to strive for a peaceful environment for as long as possible.”

In 1962, Wang Jiaxiang, Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee and Minister of the Foreign Liaison Department of the Central Committee, repeatedly made suggestions and recommendations to the Central Committee on improving China's foreign work and drafted a number of internal documents.

The core idea he emphasized was that "China’s foreign policy has always been a peaceful foreign policy, and the task of foreign affairs has always been to strive for a long-term peaceful international environment for the building of socialism in China."