Good-neighborly Friendship, Win-win Cooperation and Common Development
——Yang Jiechi talks about Premier Wen Jiabao’s attendance at East Asian Leaders’ Meetings
From October 28 to 30, 2010, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao upon invitation attended the 13th summit between China and ASEAN (10+1), the 13th summit between ASEAN, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (10+3), the fifth East Asia Summit and the summit of China, Japan and the ROK. Upon the conclusion of the summits, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who was accompanying Premier Wen on the trip, introduced to the accompanying reporters the achievements of Premier Wen’s trip.
Yang said that the situation in East Asia is undergoing profound and complex changes, with both opportunities and challenges ahead. To boost political mutual trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and push for regional integration and sustainable development is the common will shared by countries in the region, and is also the main theme of the summits, Yang said. He said peace, stability and development of East Asia is crucial to China, and that China has always valued and participated in cooperation with East Asian partners. The goal of Premier Wen's trip was to cement good-neighborly relationship, deepen regional cooperation and boost common development, Yang said. Wen conducted intensive diplomatic activities within a short period of 48 hours. He attended altogether more than 20 important events, delivered several important speeches, and put forward dozens of proposals, Yang said. The premier also had extensive contacts with leaders of other countries, held in-depth exchanges with them, and expounded in a sincere and objective manner China's foreign policy principles of "treating its neighbors well and as partners" as well as its policy of seeking mutually beneficial and peaceful common development with other countries, Yang said. China's position was hailed by all sides, and Wen's trip further strengthened China's good-neighborly and friendly cooperative ties with its neighbors, and boosted East Asian cooperation, Yang said. Premier Wen's pragmatic and highly-efficient trip scored great successes.
I. Consolidating China-ASEAN Traditional Friendship, Deepening Mutually Beneficial Cooperation in All Areas
Yang said China and ASEAN had boosted political mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation in various fields since the two sides established "a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity" in 2003. Bilateral relations are now in a new phase, Yang said, noting that China and ASEAN will celebrate the 20th anniversary of becoming dialogue partners next year. Addressing the ASEAN-related summits, Premier Wen reviewed and hailed the achievements in China-ASEAN cooperation over the past five years, reflected on the experience, and reiterated China's willingness to make good neighbors, friends and partners with the ASEAN nations, Yang said. Wen also specified the direction and goals for the China-ASEAN cooperation, Yang said. Wen noted the two sides should continue to pursue peaceful development through friendly cooperation and work together to ensure that China-ASEAN cooperation will stay at the forefront of East Asian cooperation. The Chinese premier offered a six-point proposal on jointly implementing the second five-year plan of action. Wen proposed that the two sides push for sustained, balanced and robust development of economic and trade relations, and establish interconnected networks. Wen said the two sides also need to make joint efforts in opening and integrating their financial and capital markets, deepen regional agro-economic cooperation, and increase their input in sustainable development. The Chinese premier also proposed measures for China and ASEAN to help their people better know each other and boost bilateral friendship. Wen presented China's position on the issue of the South China Sea, stressing that it is a bilateral dispute and should be resolved properly through dialogue and consultations by the parties concerned. He said the concerned parties should make concerted efforts to strictly abide by the Declaration on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea.
Leaders of ASEAN countries highly evaluated the positive and steady China-ASEAN partnership, saying that China played an important role in safeguarding regional peace, boosting regional cooperation and facilitating the development of the region. The ASEAN side gave full support to the suggestions and proposals put forward by China at the summits and expressed its willingness to work together with China to further bilateral relations, boost friendly cooperation between the parties of the South China Sea and contribute to regional peace, cooperation and development.
Leaders adopted a new plan of action for the period of 2011-2015 to realize the Joint Declaration on ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity and issued a joint statement on sustainable development. Wen and the ASEAN leaders also attended the launching ceremony of the China-ASEAN Virtual Center website.
II. Strengthening East Asian Unity and Cooperation, Promoting Regional Peace and Development
Yang said the overall situation in East Asia is stable, with the economy in the region taking the lead to stabilize and recover, regional cooperation keeping a good momentum of growth, and various mechanisms being under development. China is one of the countries that initiated and supported cooperation in East Asia, and is the advocate and beneficiary of East Asian cooperation, he said. Premier Wen said that the process of East Asian integration has to respect and take into account the real situations of various parties and their major concerns. Wen said that while the centrality of ASEAN must be respected in the process, it is also necessary to make efforts for the existing mechanisms to play their roles. This is conducive to building mutual trust among all parties and expanding and deepening cooperation.
At the ASEAN Plus Three summit, Wen reviewed the development process and fruitful results of the 10+3 mechanism, emphasizing China’s firm support of the status of 10+3 cooperation as the main channel for East Asian cooperation. He said there is a need to push ahead the establishment of an East Asia Free Trade Area, deepen cooperation in finance, food security and strengthen coordination on major international issues. "Stronger ASEAN Plus Three cooperation is essential to the revitalization of East Asia," Wen said. “We should undertake our historical mission and work persistently toward this noble goal,” he added.
At the summit of China, Japan and the ROK, Wen made positive comments on the progress of cooperation among the three nations and its important significance to the peace and prosperity of Northeast Asia and Asia as a whole. China, Japan and South Korea have decided to sign a tripartite investment agreement as soon as possible and complete the joint FTA study involving the governments, industries, and academia by 2012. The correct direction of the tripartite cooperation should be firmly kept from a strategic perspective, Wen added. Efforts should be made to constantly push forward the trilateral cooperation by promoting dialogues, boosting mutual trust and resolving differences, he said.
Addressing the Fifth East Asia Summit, Wen summarized the experience that the summit has accumulated for expanding regional cooperation, stressing the established gist, nature and principles of the East Asia Summit have to be upheld, its status as a strategic forum "led by leaders" has to be maintained, and the leading role of ASEAN has to be respected. All parties concerned should enhance their macroeconomic policy coordination on global economic growth, climate change and other major issues as well as specific issues of the region in an effort to promote regional peace, stability and development. Wen also welcomed Russia and the United States' participation in the summit, expressing the hope that the two countries would play constructive roles.
Leaders attending the summits made positive responses to Wen's initiatives and proposals and appreciated the important contributions made by China to pushing East Asian cooperation, Yang said. They expressed their willingness to further deepen their friendly cooperation with China and advance the process of East Asian integration further so as to achieve common prosperity and create a bright future for East Asian cooperation, Yang said.
III. Enhancing Mutual Understanding, Promoting Bilateral Ties
Yang said that China has always attached great importance to developing good-neighborly and friendly relations with its neighbors. During the summits, the premier held a series of bilateral meetings with foreign leaders and reached important consensus with them.
During Wen's meetings with Nong Duc Manh, general-secretary of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, both sides agreed that friendly cooperation is the mainstream of bilateral relations, and stressed that a healthy and steady development of the relations is of great significance to both countries and the region at large, Yang said. The two sides should maintain high-level exchanges as well as communication at all levels, strengthen mutual political understanding, push forward pragmatic cooperation, protect and promote mutual benefits, in order to further boost the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between China and Vietnam, Yang said.
When meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Wen underlined that unremitting efforts should be made to develop China-India friendship and to deepen the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, Yang said. Singh meanwhile expressed his will to further promote exchanges and cooperation in all fields with China, Yang said, adding that the two leaders also pledged continuous efforts to safeguard the peace and tranquility in border regions and to work for an equitable and justified settlement of border issues that is acceptable to both sides.
During the summits, Wen also met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and held friendly talks with a number of foreign leaders. Wen reached consensus with them on enhancing bilateral exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pushing forward regional cooperation and strengthening communication and coordination in regional and international affairs. The foreign leaders extended congratulations on the great achievements China has made in economic and social development, as well as on the success of the World Expo in Shanghai, he said. They also expressed appreciation of China's positive and constructive role in international and regional issues. They are willing to further strengthen political mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation with China, in a bid to jointly safeguard peace in East Asia and to promote common development, Yang said.
The foreign minister said Wen's trip is an important diplomatic move under the new circumstances aimed to enhance good-neighborliness and mutual trust, and to deepen cooperation among East Asian countries. The premier's trip has reached its expected goal and will surely have a positive impact on the further promotion of lasting peace and long-term development in East Asia, Yang said.