Minister Talk: Foreign Minister on China's diplomatic endeavors

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As a part of our special National Day coverage, we put together a series of interviews with 10 Ministers of the Republic, ranging from Health Minister Chen Zhu, to Education Minister Zhou Ji. In the first episode, the Foreign Minister brings us back to the founding of the nation where the story begins.

November 8th, 1949, the Ministry of Foreign affairs of the People's Republic of China was founded. 60 years later, it accumulated invaluable experience for the nation's generations of diplomats.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said, "China's 60 years of diplomatic endeavor has given us a great legacy. There are two most prominent points. One is China always upholds the principal of independent foreign policy of peace, the other is always taking consideration of both foreign and domestic strategies, and striving to achieve the goals of the nation. We should learn to think both horizontally and vertically so our diplomatic work can reinforce the development in other sectors. We will rally under the flag of peace, development and cooperation and march on the path of peaceful rise."

The P.R.C. debuted on the world stage at the 1954 Geneva Conference. At that time, when China's premier and foreign minister Zhou Enlai walked into the meeting hall, leaders from other countries viewed China with curiosity and skepticism. Back then, only the former Soviet Union and some third world countries had diplomatic relations with China.

After 60 years of development, China is becoming increasingly important on the international arena and joined more than 130 inter-government organizations and entered more than 300 multilateral agreements.