BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- China must not be absent from international affairs, President Xi Jinping said Thursday in his New Year speech, as the world is looking forward to voices and answers from China.

"The world is so big, the challenges so complicated," Xi said.

"For those people torn by hardship and war, we need to offer not only sympathy and compassion, but also responsibility and action," Xi said.

"China will always welcome the world with an open embrace, and we will also extend our hand to those in difficulty as best as we can, and our 'circle of friends' will grow," Xi said, borrowing a term from the popular messaging app WeChat.

Throughout 2015, Xi said, China's leaders have taken active part in international conferences and diplomatic activity, bringing substantial progresses in the "Belt and Road Initiative," while contributing to the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the global fight against climate change.

He said, "We have only one earth, one home for the peoples of all nations."

Xi expressed his earnest hope that the international community could work together for peace, in a spirit of cooperation. "By turning antagonism to synergy, hostility to friendship, together we will forge a community of shared destiny for all humankind," said the president.