China believes friends, not interests, are permanent, Wang says

China believes that friends should be permanent and we should pursue common interests, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

He made the comments when asked at a news conference in Beijing on the sidelines of the annual two sessions about Washington's America first policy, its withdrawing from international organizations and treaties and suspending US aid to foreign countries, its threatening traditional allies, and whether this is a good chance for China to draw other countries to its side.

Referring to the fact that there are more than 190 countries in this world, Wang said, "Imagine if every country emphasizes the priority of its own country and is obsessed with the position of strength, then the world will backtrack to the law of the jungle, and the small and weak countries will bear the first impacts, and the order of international rules and regulations will suffer a serious blow."

He mentioned that at the Paris Peace Conference over 100 years ago, the Chinese dignitaries asked a question: Does justice prevail over power, or does power mean justice?

"New China stands firm on the side of international justice and resolutely opposes power politics and hegemony, and history should move forward, not backward," Wang said.

He underlined the need to undertake international obligations and fulfill the role of a major country, not seeking benefits only and not bullying the weak.

Wang quoted a Western saying that "there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests".

"We in China believe that friends should be permanent and we should pursue common interests," he said.

Beijing is glad to see an increasing number of countries joining in building a community with a shared future for mankind, more than 100 other countries supporting the three global initiatives, and over three-fourth of all the countries joining in building the Belt and Road family, he said.

"History will prove that a real winner is the one that keeps in mind the interests of all, and that a community with a shared future for mankind will ensure that the world belongs to every country, and that everyone will have a bright future," he said.