On December 5, 2020, Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng attended and addressed the Third Chinese Think Tanks' International Influence Forum & the Sixth Seminar on Novel Think Tank Development held by the Renmin University of China. He said that the once-in-a-century pandemic is unexpectedly coinciding with the profound changes of a kind unseen in 100 years, and the two are mutually reinforcing each other and profoundly redefining the world. President Xi Jinping pointed out insightfully that the world has stepped into a period of turbulences and changes. All of us are thinking about and discussing how to respond to the ravaging pandemic, great turbulences and unprecedented changes and where the world is going.

Le Yucheng noted, going all out to rein in the spread of the disease is a pressing matter of the moment. It is impossible for any country to be concerned only for itself in face of a crisis. We must establish the philosophy of putting people and life first, replace disagreement with solidarity, work together to advance the joint prevention and control of the pandemic in the international sphere, especially facilitating vaccine research & development and distribution through cooperation, and make endeavors to turn the vaccines global public goods accessible and affordable to people of all countries. The central task is promoting the recovery and growth of the world economy because protectionism and "decoupling" will only worsen the world economy. The urgent demand is building a more impartial and reasonable international governance system since zero-sum game and unilateral bulling are dead-end. The fundamental solution is advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. As COVID-19 will not be the last crisis for the mankind, we must get ready for rising to more global challenges together. The concept that the world is a global family and a global community will be the only choice for human beings in the future.

Le Yucheng emphasized, during the historic test of the pandemic, the diplomatic front has, under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee, accurately identified, scientifically addressed and proactively searched for changes, and carried out effective and fruitful anti-pandemic diplomacy in a people-centric manner. Chinese diplomatic envoys and staff members of Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, among other foreign diplomats "in harm's way", forged ahead in spite of difficulties and risks, endeavored to pass the care of the Party and the country onto each overseas citizen, and sent warmth and confidence to overseas compatriots to put their mind at ease.

Le Yucheng said, the diplomatic front cannot submit to the unscrupulous suppression by foreign hostile anti-China forces but naturally fights back. The criticism about "wolf warrior diplomacy" is actually another version of "China threat theory" and another "speech trap", which aims to make China give up and never fight back. China's diplomacy has always been free from all cowardice or obsequiousness and firmly determined to defend national interests and dignity!

Le Yucheng stressed, a major country should play a due role and serve as a role model in leading the provision of global public goods and injecting positive energies into global governance instead of just highlighting its own interests or even seeking benefits for itself at the expense of other countries. As a responsible major country, China has always been a guardian of the international order, a contributor to global governance and a provider of global public goods. China has been dedicated itself to making friends and establishing more diplomatic relations, but certain countries have coerced other countries to take their side and form the with-us-or-against-us effect in order to suppress and contain China. Even so, China is enjoying an increasingly bigger "circle of friends". On the right side of the history, China is in tune with the will of the people and follows the trends, and thus has friends all over the world.

Le Yucheng said, this year we have seen a typical example of "plot reversal" and shift of crisis into opportunity. In face of the pandemic going viral at an unprecedented speed and scale, we were united as one, paid hard efforts and made significant strategic achievements in a short period of time while President Xi Jinping personally directed the outbreak response. Amid the outbreak, the true freedom is the freedom on the basis of respecting science, and the most basic human rights are the rights to health and life. The pandemic did not become China's "Chernobyl Moment", but rather a "shining moment" for the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.

Le Yucheng underlined, the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee has chartered a course and made strategic planning for China to embark on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. We will develop a full understanding of the new development stage, and apply the new development philosophy. We will foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. China, home to 1.4 billion people, is changing every day. The success of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics provides us with rich materials to tell the Chinese story.

Le Yucheng said, the ravaging pandemic catalyzes unprecedented changes, and unprecedented changes call for great endeavors. He called on all experts and scholars to actively voice their opinions to the rest of world by introducing Chinese culture, telling Chinese stories, publicizing Chinese spirit and making know Chinese contributions, thereby contributing insights and showing unique achievements to peace and development in the post-pandemic era and to major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era.