Enhancing Mutual Trust Deepening Cooperation Looking into the Future and Seeking Common Development

-- He Yafei introduces the achievements of Vice Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea

On November 5, 2009, as Vice Premier Li Keqiang ended his formal visit to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei who accompanied Li during the tour introduced to the accompanying journalists the achievements of Li's visit.

He said that Vice Premier Li's visit is a major diplomatic activity of China with South Pacific region and has great significance to consolidating and developing China's friendly and cooperative relations with the three countries and others in the region. With a tight schedule and various activities, the visit has achieved fruitful results.

I. Consolidate the Political Basis of Bilateral Relations from a Strategic Height

China is an important partner of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and both sides share extensive interests. During his visit to Australia, Vice Premier Li held talks with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Deputy Prime Minister Gerard respectively. The two sides reached important consensus on advancing China-Australia relations. They agreed that the cooperation between China and Australia under new circumstances has grown increasingly important, the bilateral relationship has gained greater strategic significance and should be treated from a strategic height and long-term perspective, the core interest and major concerns of each other should be respected and sensitive issues should be handled properly in order to push for the long-term healthy and stable development of bilateral ties. The Australian side emphasized its respect for China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The two countries issued the China-Australia Joint Communiqué which for the first time since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties defined the basic principles and major consensus on developing the bilateral relations in the form of a joint communiqué and will guide the progress of bilateral relations in a fairly long period of time. During the visit to New Zealand, Vice Premier Li, Prime Minister John Key and Deputy Prime Minister Bill English reiterated the strategic importance of comprehensively developing the bilateral relationship and deepening the pragmatic cooperation in various fields. Leaders of New Zealand reaffirmed respect for China's position on issues related with its core interest like Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. Vice Premier Li met with Governor General Sir Paulias Matane, Prime Minister Michael Thomas Somare and Deputy Prime Minister Puka Temu respectively during his visit to Papua New Guinea. Both sides agreed to further consolidate the traditional bilateral friendship, strengthen mutual support and cooperation and lift the bilateral relations to a new level. Leaders of Papua New Guinea restated their firm pursuit of the one-China policy.

II. Promote the Mutually Beneficial Trade and Economic Cooperation in an All-Round Manner

Vice Premier Li and leaders of the three countries stressed that the two sides enjoy strong economic complementarities, to deepen the mutually beneficial and win-win trade and economic cooperation serves the fundamental interest of both and their trade and economic cooperation has been lifted to a new level in the process of coping with the international financial crisis. Li and Australian leaders agreed to continue to attach strategic importance to the bilateral trade and economic cooperation and actively explore the pragmatic cooperation in such new areas as high-tech, new energy, biomedicine, energy efficiency and environmental protection while advancing the cooperation in the traditional fields like energy, mineral resources, agriculture and stockbreeding. The Australian side expressed willingness of being a strategic partner of China in the field of energy and resources and maintaining its open and non-discriminatory policy towards Chinese investment. The two sides will advance their negotiations on free trade agreement in an "active, realistic, balanced and mutually beneficial" manner. Li and leaders of New Zealand agreed to continue to implement the bilateral free trade agreement and expand the volume and areas of bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Li and leaders of Papua New Guinea agreed to make concerted efforts to push forward cooperation in the traditional industries such as agriculture, forestry and fishery as well as in the field of energy resources. Prior to and during Li's visit to Australia, the Australian side approved Yanzhou Coal Mining Co.'s acquisition of Australia's Felix Resources Ltd, Baosteel Group's acquisition of Aquila and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding's acquisition of Energy Metals. During Li's tour in the three countries, businesses of China and Australia signed two cooperation agreements on telecommunications, the Chinese and New Zealand governments signed the cooperation agreements concerning the temporary work of Chinese citizens in New Zealand, food safety, inspection and quarantine, the Chinese and Papua New Guinea governments signed the cooperation documents on bilateral economic and technological cooperation and credit from China to Papua New Guinea, and related Chinese company signed the framework agreement with ExxonMobil on procuring LNG from Papua New Guinea.

III. Strengthen Cultural and Educational Exchanges with a Series of New Measures

Vice Premier Li and leaders of the three countries reiterated the importance of broadening cultural and educational exchanges to enhancing the friendship between their people and consolidating the social foundation of bilateral ties. They agreed to continue to push forward the bilateral friendly exchanges and cooperation in such fields as education, culture and tourism in various forms and at different levels. China and Australia announced they will hold the Year of Australian Culture in China from 2010 to 2011 and the Year of Chinese Culture in Australia from 2011 to 2012. China declared to deliver a pair of pandas to Australia for research purpose before the end of this year. The travel of pandas to Australia will become a new symbol of friendship between the Chinese and Australian people. China signed the MOU on education and training cooperation with Australia and New Zealand respectively, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology and University of Canterbury jointly established a Confucius Institute. Vice Premier Li expressed welcome to the people of the three countries to visit, study and travel in China. The latter all confirmed their active participation in the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Li noted that he would like to provide support and facilitation for them to attend the Shanghai World Expo.

Iv. Advance Cooperation on Multilateral Issues

Vice Premier Li and leaders of the three countries exchanged in-depth opinions on major international and regional issues. The latter made positive remarks on China's active efforts and constructive role of coping with such major global issues as international financial crisis and climate change. The two sides agreed to reinforce consultations, coordination and cooperation on major international and regional issues such as the global financial crisis, climate change and East Asian cooperation as well as on multilateral organizations including the UN, APEC, East Asian Summit and Pacific Islands Forum.

V. Increase Understanding of China through Face-To-Face Exchanges

In his speech made to the Australian business and commercial community, Vice Premier Li comprehensively introduced China's proposition on handling the international financial crisis and the results China had already achieved, expounded China's firm commitment to the mutually beneficial and win-win opening strategy and the road of peaceful development and put forward three proposals of regarding the China-Australia relations from a strategic height, advancing the pragmatic cooperation on the basis of complementing each other with advantages and enhancing the cultural and educational exchanges amid a harmonious and friendly atmosphere so as to continue to push forward the mutually beneficial, win-win and comprehensive cooperation between China and Australia in the 21st century. Demonstrating the image of China as a responsible country and sending out the positive signal of continuing to develop China-Australia relations, his speech received warm responses from the audience and international media. Li also contacted widely and held cordial talks with the local leaders, enterprises, institutions of higher learning, research institutes and related media of the three countries, which has been generally well received.

He Yafei said that the visit of Vice Premier Li to Papua New Guinea shows the positive attitude of the Chinese government on strengthening relations with the Pacific island countries. The 14 Pacific island countries guard South-West Pacific traffic arteries and hold vast sea areas. Papua New Guinea, Micronesia and Fiji all have fairly big Ocean Exclusive Economic Zones and boast abundant marine life and seabed mineral resources.

He noted that both China and Pacific island countries are developing countries and there are many common languages and common interests between them. They support each other in such international organizations as the UN and on many major international and regional issues. As a dialogue partner, China has built active cooperative relations with Pacific Islands Forum and deepened friendly exchanges and dialogue with island countries. China has established diplomatic ties with Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Cook Islands, Tonga and Niue since the 1970s. China's relations with Pacific island countries have grown rapidly in recent years and become a major part of its relations with developing countries. The bilateral trade volume reached US$1.76 billion in 2008. Pacific island countries are important offshore fishing operations bases of China. At present there are over 200 Chinese fishermen operating in south Pacific. More than 20,000 Chinese have settled down or do business in Pacific island countries. Over years, China has offered economic and technical assistance to the Pacific island countries with diplomatic relations with China, built a large number of public utilities and infrastructures including roads, bridges, power, water supply projects, schools, clinics and stadiums, dispatched many agricultural and fishery experts and technicians to help them develop economy and trained technicians for them. Facts show that the development of bilateral relations between China and Pacific island countries benefits the people of developing countries and enjoy a promising future.

He indicated that China will continue to push forward its friendly and cooperative relations with Pacific island countries on the basis of Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. China and Pacific island countries should respect each other and treat each other as equals politically, support each other and seek common development economically, keep close communications and coordination in multilateral affairs, build and develop a new type of partnership featured by equality, mutual benefit and all-round cooperation and make active contributions to promoting the economic and social progress of Pacific island countries and the stability and prosperity in the region as well.