He lauded tolerance as a "virtue", especially regarding diversity. He pledged China would be "fully open" and he promoted "mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries".

Xi rejected the so-called "China threat" as "misleading", having been founded on "deeply rooted prejudices". He stressed that China has always been a peace-loving nation and Chinese culture advocates harmony; that China suffered tragically from foreign aggression and Chinese philosophy does not impose on others. Chinese patriotism "defends the homeland," Xi said, but does not colonialize - the Silk Road exemplifies East-West exchanges for mutual benefit. Reiterating a familiar theme, Xi vowed that no matter how powerful China becomes, China will never seek hegemony over others.

He said history tells us that war is like the devil and a nightmare for all peoples, yet the world today is dangerous and in many countries wars rage or simmer. China will actively assume more international responsibility, with other countries, to jointly facilitate settlement of hotspot issues, support peacekeeping, and respond to humanitarian crises. China, Xi pledged, will continue to deal with conflicts and differences through dialogue based on equality and patience.

Xi called for more multichannel, multilevel exchanges between peoples, such as sister cities, cultural activities, civil diplomacy between non-government organizations, and public diplomacy among diverse peoples, to promote mutual understanding and learning. Xi called for "good Chinese voices" telling "good Chinese stories" to show the world the true China in a multidimensional way.

China seeks ways to unify the diverse dreams of different peoples, promoting global peace and human development. But this will not be easy, he cautioned. China, he said, has major challenges and should learn from the achievements of other countries.

Much of the world remains wary. Some wonder what to make of a peacefully developing China as seen through the prism of intensified claims and incidents in the South and East China seas. Sovereignty, from China's perspective, is a highly charged issue, as it is in most countries, but especially in light of China's century-long oppression by foreign powers. That said, all countries should fear the perils of tripping over small hurdles.

So should we take Xi's foreign policy philosophy at face value? I think so, for three reasons: first, we must eschew self-fulfilling prophecies of suspicion and retaliation; second, China has huge domestic challenges and international tensions are disruptive; and third, Xi has generated genuine goodwill abroad, so it would make no sense to undermine his own leadership by making statements that turn out to be false.

It is China's interest to help secure global peace and stability and to promote global development and prosperity. China must play an increasingly active role in the new world order.

The author is an international corporate strategist and political/economics commentator. He is the author of How China's Leaders Think and a biography of former president Jiang Zemin.