The Chinese dream not only steers a strategic blueprint for China's future development, it also reflects China's foreign policies in the new era and has far-reaching implications for the world.

First, the Chinese dream is a dream of peace. Peace and development, echoing the themes of the times, are the means to achieve national prosperity and rejuvenation, and ensure people's well-being.

Throughout history, China has sought peaceful relations with other countries. Zheng He (1371-1433) led trading fleets west seven times, bringing peace and friendship to more than 30 countries and regions in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The Silk Road linking China with central and western Asia and Europe was a road for peaceful cooperation.

The Chinese people are deeply aware of the preciousness of peace, as China suffered humiliation and bullying at the hands of foreign invaders in modern times.

China's remarkable progress since reform and opening-up has also made people fully aware that without peace little can be achieved. So the country strives for development in a peaceful global environment and promotes world peace through self-development.

China's new leadership is determined to pursue peaceful development along with the Chinese people, which fully exhibits the peaceful nature of the Chinese dream.

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China conducted a group study session on Jan 28 to address the topic of sticking to the path of peaceful development. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Party who chaired the session, said the path of peaceful development is a strategic choice the Party has made according to the trend of the times and China's fundamental interests.

Second, the Chinese dream is a dream of development. It never aims to conquer, surpass, or replace anyone, it aims to bring benefits to the Chinese people and propel common global development.

Since the birth of the People's Republic of China more than six decades ago, China has made astonishing progress, rising to be the second-largest economy in the world. The comprehensive strength of China as well as people's living standards has been enhanced greatly.

However, China's basic national conditions remain unchanged, it has a huge population, a weak economic foundation and unbalanced development. China's per capita GDP ranks 89th on the global list.

According to the standard set by the United Nations, 128 million people in China still live under the poverty line. Development remains the country's top priority. China's development will vigorously drive up the development of other countries and regions, and promote common progress.

China wishes to establish diplomatic relations with all countries based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. It endeavors to promote development and resolve disputes through cooperation and to enhance cooperation by expanding mutual benefits.

The total value of China's imports and exports increased from just $20.6 billion in 1978 to $3.87 trillion in 2012. The actual foreign capital intake in China was $117.22 billion in 2012; while by April 2013, China had absorbed foreign capital totaling $1.3 trillion, which was the second highest in the world. At the same time, the country's non-financial outward direct investment surged to $77.2 billion last year, edging it into a great power in outward investment. Moreover, China takes an active role in the implementation of free trade agreements, having signed FTAs with 10 economies.

China is also devoted to the establishment and development of international and regional cooperation mechanisms including the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, and it has carried out comprehensive cooperation featuring mutual benefits with the countries and regions concerned. Therefore, the realization of the Chinese dream is incorporated into China's deepening pragmatic cooperation with the rest of the world.

China has always acted as a staunch force for safeguarding world peace and development. From 2001 to 2011, China provided more than 170 billion yuan ($27.7 billion) in foreign assistance and exempted about 30 billion yuan in matured debts incurred by 50 heavily indebted and the least developed countries.

Also, China has dispatched a total of more than 20,000 peacekeepers and more than 1,600 police officers to participate in UN peacekeeping missions, which is the largest number of personnel dispatched among the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

More significantly, China has made great contributions to the growth of the world economy. Statistics from the International Monetary Fund show that China has contributed to nearly one-fourth of the global economic growth since breakout of the global financial crisis.

It is projected that by 2020, the purchasing power from the Chinese market will amount to 64 trillion yuan. In the next five years, the total value of China's imported products will reach $10 trillion, and the value of total foreign investment will surpass $500 billion, providing massive opportunities for the development of other countries.

The Chinese dream will not only bring benefits to the Chinese people, but also to the whole world. And the Chinese dream is to share its aims and fruits with the dreams of the world.

The author is a Bejing-based scholar of international relations.

(China Daily USA 08/08/2013 page11)