Consolidate Good-neighborly Friendship and Promote Regional Cooperation

-- Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi talks about Premier Wen Jiabao's attendance of East Asian leaders meetings and visits to Cambodia and Thailand

From November 18 to 21, 2012, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was invited to attend the 15th China-ASEAN (10+1) Leaders' Meeting, the Commemorative Summit for the 15th Anniversary of ASEAN plus China, Japan and the ROK (10+3) cooperation as well as the 7th East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, and pay official visits to Cambodia and Thailand. As the trip came to the end, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi introduced to the accompanying journalists Premier Wen's attendance of the meetings and his visits.

I. Promoting Regional Cooperation

The international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes as the global financial crisis continues to fester and world economy is faced with anemic recovery, said Yang. East Asia has maintained sound momentum of development, but uncertainty and destabilizing factors are on the rise. It is the common aspiration of the countries in the region to strengthen cooperation, join hands to counter challenges and seek common development, he said, adding this is also where the hope for global economic recovery and growth lies.

China has for years worked for East Asian cooperation, thus playing a constructive role. At the summits, Wen exchanged in-depth views with leaders on the current regional situation and future development of East Asian cooperation, Yang said. On top of that, Wen expounded on China's position, proposed important initiatives and called on all parties to focus on cooperation and development, he said.

On China-ASEAN cooperation, Wen put forward a set of important principles: all the parties need to stick to mutual respect and mutual trust, pursue good neighborliness, and strengthen security and strategic dialogue and cooperation. He called on related parties in East Asia to properly handle their differences and disputes in the spirit of seeking consensus through consultation and accommodating each other's concerns. He also asked the ASEAN partners to work together to face up to the international financial crisis in a bid to promote a long-term high-quality development. Wen also made important initiatives on carrying forward the China-ASEAN free trade agreement, enhancing cooperation in science and technology, pushing forward interconnectivity projects and boosting social and cultural exchanges. Wen's initiatives were recognized by all parties. ASEAN leaders thanked for China's firm support of ASEAN integration, holding that the ASEAN-China cooperation is crucial to promoting regional peace, stability and development.

Wen said currently deepening ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Cooperation is in a critical stage. Wen called on APT to further enhance crisis management capacity, advance regional economic integration, and cooperate on interconnectivity projects so as to create a stable, safe and friendly social environment. At the summits, all sides agreed to speed up the revision of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization, groom Asia's bond market and launch the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The RCEP is a major move for regional trade liberalization and economic integration, which involves China, ten ASEAN countries, Japan, the ROK, India, Australia and New Zealand. The economic aggregates of the 16 countries are nearly 20 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for one third of the world's total. If finally reached, it will build a free trade area covering a population of nearly 3.5 billion. During the meetings, China, Japan and the ROK also announced the launch of FTA negotiations, marking a new step forward in building East Asia FTA.

The East Asia summit is an important platform for cooperation among East Asian countries. Premier Wen called on all sides to grasp new opportunities created by the regional integration process, run their own affairs well, promote unity and cooperation, create a cooperative atmosphere in favor of dialogue, consultation and win-win results and make more powerful policies and measures to deal with the international financial crisis. Leaders at the East Asia Summit adopted the Phnom Penh Declaration, which was formulated on the basis of China's initiative. The declaration advocates more cooperation in finance, energy, education, disaster management, public health and interconnectivity. The declaration helps facilitate exchange of development experience among all sides as well as the fulfillment of "balanced, inclusive and sustained" development, and injects new vitality into East Asia cooperation.

Wen also elaborated on China's position on regional situation and the South China Sea issue. He stressed that China pursues good neighborliness and that all problems must be properly solved by countries concerned through direct dialogue and consultation. China is ready to make joint efforts with ASEAN countries to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, safeguard regional peace, stability, cooperation and development. In response to the mentioning of the Huangyan Island at the East Asia Summit, Wen said that the Huangyan Island is an integral part of Chinese territory and that its sovereignty is indisputable. China's actions to defend the island's sovereignty are legitimate and necessary, Wen said. China's position has gained widespread understanding and respect. ASEAN countries said they are willing to keep communication and consultation with China and that the South China Sea issue should not be internationalized.

II. Promoting Bilateral Relations with Other Countries

On the sidelines of the meetings, Premier Wen met with leaders of many countries and exchanged views with them on bilateral relations, regional situation and cooperation in East Asia.

In a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Wen said the two countries should stick to the direction of building the bilateral cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit and consolidate and enhance bilateral mechanisms, including the Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the high-level consultation on people-to-people exchanges. The two countries should also further promote bilateral economic and trade relations by conducting large-scale cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, finance and infrastructure, he said. He also called on the two countries to intensify communication and consultation on international and regional affairs, and especially work with other Asia-Pacific countries to safeguard and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Obama said U.S.-China cooperation is vital to the security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and in the world. The United States would continue to commit itself to working with China to build a strong cooperative partnership and maintain and advance the sound development momentum in bilateral ties, he said. The U.S. president said that Washington hopes such mechanism as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue would continue and develop, and that the two countries will enhance cooperation to jointly deal with global challenges and threats The meeting between Wen and Obama was the first between Chinese and U.S. leaders after the just concluded 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Nov. 6 U.S. presidential election. It had important significance to maintaining and promoting China-U.S. relations.

Indonesia and Malaysia are two important ASEAN countries. Wen met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak respectively and agreed with them to enhance overall planning, expand two-way trade and investment and promote cooperation in infrastructure and other fields.

Wen also met with ROK President Lee Myung-bak, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, reaching agreement with them on promoting cooperation in bilateral and regional affairs.

III. Consolidating China-Cambodia, China-Thailand Friendly Cooperation

Cambodia and Thailand are China's close neighbors and comprehensive strategic cooperation partners. The China-Cambodia and China-Thailand relationships have set a fine example of good neighborliness. Cambodia holds the rotating ASEAN presidency while Thailand is the coordinator of ties between China and ASEAN. These two countries have played important roles in promoting China-ASEAN cooperation. Premier Wen paid official visits to Cambodia and Thailand and reached consensus with leaders of the two countries on deepening traditional friendship and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.

Premier Wen mourned the death of Cambodia's former King Norodom Sihanouk at Cambodia's Royal Palace, expressing sympathy to Cambodian Queen Mother Norodom Monineath and King Norodom Sihamoni. While meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Wen said China will continue to offer support in Cambodia's socioeconomic development and urged both sides to ensure success of the "Year of Friendship". Wen also said the two countries should speed up the formulation of an action plan for China-Cambodia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation so as to push the bilateral ties to a new height. Cambodian leaders said their country appreciates China's valuable help in the past and promised to inherit the behest of the late king and pass on the friendship from generation to generation. The two sides agreed to expand economic, trade and investment cooperation and reached new consensus on infrastructure construction cooperation in Cambodia.

During his visit to Thailand, Wen held talks with Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Wen said China and Thailand are friendly neighbors. Against the backdrop of complicated and profound changes in international and regional situations, the two sides should continue to firmly support and help each other and further enrich comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in a bid to realize common development and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity. Thai leaders said Bangkok attaches great importance to developing ties with China and is willing to boost cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment and infrastructure between the two countries. "China and Thailand are as close as one family" and there are millions of overseas Chinese living in Thailand. Upon his arrival in Bangkok, Wen visited representatives of overseas Chinese living in Thailand to express to them the care and solicitudes of the motherland. Both China and Thailand attach importance to cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Wen and Yingluck attended the inauguration ceremony of the Chinese Culture Center in Bangkok, which is the first Chinese culture center China has established in Southeast Asia.

Yang finally said Wen's official visits to Cambodia and Thailand were successful ones which carried forward the spirit of equality and mutual trust, inclusiveness and learning from each other and cooperation and win-win results advocated by China. Wen's trip also demonstrated that China is pursuing a foreign policy of building good neighborly relationships and partnerships with neighbors and that China is a responsible country and a constructive force. China will continue to be unswervingly committed to the good-neighborly and friendly cooperation and make joint efforts with other countries to create a stable and prosperous future of the region.