Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy rear admiral Yang Yi. Photo: Global Times

On Saturday, the Global Times Annual Conference 2026, themed "Trust in China: New Journey, New Opportunities," was held in Beijing. During a discussion on the topic "A forward-looking country: how important is 'predictability' to the world," Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy rear admiral Yang Yi said that China's steadfast commitment to peaceful development and its markedly growing comprehensive strength are the reason why the world can trust in China.

"Why should the world trust in China? In my view, for two reasons: our will and our strength," Yang said. By will, he meant China's strategic choice of peaceful development. In response to global deficits in development and security, clashes of civilizations, and governance shortfalls, China has put forward four global initiatives to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Strength refers to China's national capabilities. After decades of development-especially over the past decade or so-China's strength has undergone profound changes, including comprehensive upgrading of industrial chains, rapid technological progress, and fast-growing military capabilities. "This is our confidence, and it is why the world can trust in China," he said.

Yang noted that many factors influence and shape global peace, stability, and development, but interactions among major powers are particularly important. 

Whether the world's major powers choose cooperation and coordination, or rivalry and conflict, determines the direction of the international strategic landscape. Among these interactions, China-US relations are a key factor, said Yang.

He noted that owing to differences in history, culture, and political systems, as well as shifts in relative strength and influence, China-US relations display multiple characteristics: structural strategic contradictions (between a rising power and an established one), long-term uncertainty, cyclical volatility, and fragility driven by US domestic politics and third-party factors. The two sides face risks of tension, confrontation, or even conflict triggered by unexpected events, while also sharing the need to manage risks and the resilience to prevent conflict, as neither side can afford the costs of confrontation.

Yang added that not long ago, the US released a national security strategy report during President Trump's second term, introducing many new formulations. Some have interpreted it as a global strategic retrenchment by the US, which he said is inaccurate. At first glance, the report reflects both continuity and change. What remains unchanged is the US intention to maintain, consolidate, and strengthen its global hegemony, as well as its policy of containing major powers-especially China. 

What has changed are the methods, strategies, and pathways, with greater emphasis on cost control. The revised description of China-US relations should not be read as more friendly than before; rather, it reflects a strategic adjustment in response to China's strong development. In this sense, the interaction between China and the US has entered a new historical stage, said Yang. 

Yang said that as China's overall strength in the economy, technology, and other areas has grown, its military capabilities have advanced in tandem. The commissioning of the aircraft carrier Fujian marks a new phase in the development of China's military power, but it is only a beginning. 

This year's September 3 military parade not only demonstrated China's firm resolve to safeguard the outcomes of World War II and uphold world peace, but also showcased achievements in national defense and military modernization characterized by systematized combat capabilities and modernized weaponry, said Yang.

He noted that various new types of weapons and equipment form a solid foundation for the PLA's new quality combat capabilities and serve as powerful deterrents against any forces attempting to undermine the results of World War II, disrupt regional and global strategic stability, or threaten peace and development. 

"With every increment of China's strength, the hope for world peace grows by one more measure," Yang said.