Ringing in a New Year of Peace and Development

Italy held a referendum on constitutional reform on December 4， 2016， aimed at reducing Senate powers， shortening the time taken for bills to be passed from the Senate to the House and streamlining the political system. The constitutional amendment was rejected and Italian Premier Matteo Renzi announced his resignation the next day.

Europe in crisis does offer opportunities for reform. Renzi is one of the political leaders who have the courage and determination to promote reform and so maintain Europes market economy and democratic values， and its competitiveness in the global economy.

However， since the referendum on Brexit， the rise of far-right parties in Europe has led to an increase in populism， exclusionism， and anti-EU sentiment. Since becoming U.S. President-Elect， Donald Trump has expressed a wish to return to isolationism. All these facts have triggered a wave of anti-globalization. Some countries have implemented long-term protectionist policies and measures that also show signs of anti-globalization. According to the WTO， from October 2015 to May 2016， the G20 imposed 145 new trade restrictions – around 21 new measures each month. This is the highest number since 2009， when the WTO first started monitoring trade restrictions.

This trend in anti-globalization means the world economy is facing a period of readjustment after the international financial crisis – one which will encompass the year 2017. According to the IMF， global economic growth in 2017 will be 3.4 percent： 1.8 percent for developed countries and 4.6 percent for emerging economies， which is a slight increase over 2016.

Alexander Van der Bellen was elected as the new President of Austria on December 4. This sent a positive signal to a Europe in crisis. Against a background of rising populism and isolationism， Van der Bellen promised to support European integration and help Austria continue to be an inclusive and open country as an integral part of the European Union.

In 2017， Germany， France， South Korea， and Syria， among others， will experience a change in government， potentially giving rise to volatility in their domestic politics and economy that could have an impact on the world as a whole. In any case， the pursuit of peace and development is the goal of every country and an eternal global theme. As a large developing country， China hopes to contribute to world peace and development through its own peaceful development. Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou about the concept of global economic governance with equality as its foundation， openness as its orientation， cooperation as its driving force， and sharing as its goal. Xi also proposed building four governance frameworks for finance， trade and investment， energy， and development， thereby mapping out Chinas plans to advance the reform of global economic governance.

If the U.S. is determined to revitalize its manufacturing industry after Trump assumes office， in order to revive the American economy it still needs to expand exports and attract foreign capital. China is a major export market for the U.S. that has also seen considerable Chinese investment. A trade war between the two nations， therefore， is unlikely. History shows that a rough patch always occurs in the development of Sino-U.S. relations after a new U.S. president assumes office， but the fluctuation will not be strong enough to change the framework of bilateral ties established over the past 45 years.

To implement the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy which was agreed in Ufa in 2015， BRICS member countries will， over the next year， continue to deepen exchanges and enhance connectivity in trade and investment， monetary finance， infrastructure， and cultural exchanges. China will enhance communication and coordination with G20 members， proactively promote reform of the IMF and World Bank governance structure， endorse emerging market economies and champion the representation of developing countries and their right to be heard. Meanwhile， under the BRICS framework， China will intensify pragmatic cooperation on anti-terrorism， space travel， energy security， and network security， laying down international rules that reflect the interests and concerns of all countries. China will also ensure that cooperation with Africa is never at the expense of its natural environment or the continents long-term interests. China will support Africa in carrying out 100 projects in various areas， including clean energy， wildlife protection， eco-friendly agriculture， and smart cities.

While seeing in this New Year， people everywhere prayed for peace in their homelands and a comfortable 2017. In spite of continuing crises and turmoil， humankind has never ceased in its joint endeavor to achieve this goal of world peace， and will continue to strive towards it in the future.