The guideline matches China's peaceful development path. Peaceful development is a feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Win-win cooperation, not regional or global hegemony, is the hallmark of the country's opening-up to the outside world. Achieving the country's long-term rejuvenation in a peaceful way requires national power and worldwide acknowledgement of its moral strength. Taoguang yanghui will lead China onto the moral high ground.

China's low level of development suggests the policy will be long term. Despite becoming the world's second largest economy and having some prosperous cities, the country is still characterized by a huge population and low per capita GDP. The average living standard in China even lags behind that of a number of developing nations.

The country's leadership has kept it in mind that the country is still a long way from its goal of building up a moderately well-off society. That China is, and will remain, a developing country for quite some time is a fact, not false modesty as some skeptics claim. Therefore we should continue to keep a low profile and strive for sustainable development.

The ever-changing world situation also calls for the strategy to help us make sound judgments and properly handle major international contradictions and conflicts. Only when we are calm and observe attentively can we see through the world vicissitudes and catch the trend of the times, which will enable us to make sound decisions.

As the key diplomatic guideline tailored for China by Deng Xiaoping, one that incorporates traditional thought and contemporary diplomatic wisdom, taoguang yanghui is still China's diplomatic stance and will remain so in the future.

The author is president of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.

(China Daily 10/29/2011 page5)