Good-neighborly Friendship, Sincere Mutual Help, Promotion of Cooperation and Seeking of Common Development

——Yang Jiechi talks about Premier Wen Jiabao’s attendance of summits of East Asian leaders

From October 23 to 25, 2009, Premier of the State Council Wen Jiabao attended the 12th ASEAN Plus China (10+1) Summit, the 12th ASEAN Plus China, Japan and South Korea (10+3) Summit and the 4th East Asia Summit. Following those summits, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi who accompanied Wen during the tour introduced the outcome of the visit to the accompanying journalists.

Yang said that East Asian cooperation has been accelerated in recent years and countries in this region share closely linked interests. The international financial crisis has impacted the region severely. Faced with the challenges, East Asian countries have stronger aspiration than ever before to strengthen cooperation to overcome difficulties, translate crisis into opportunities and seek common development. As a member of the East Asian family, China is linked with all the other countries in common joys and sorrows. On the one hand China is trying to handle its own affairs well and maintain stable and relatively fast economic growth and on the other hand is committed to promoting cooperation in East Asia. In April this year when the financial crisis was rampant, China proposed a series of key measures and initiatives to reinforce cooperation with ASEAN to cope with the challenges, which has been widely recognized. It is of great significance to hold those summits at the crucial moment of addressing the crisis. During the summits, Premier Wen put forward new measures and initiatives on jointly tackling the crisis and challenges and deepening regional cooperation, which, focusing both on the most pressing tasks and issues of common concern at present and on the long-term and strategic planning, well mirrors friendship, sincerity, cooperation and confidence and has contributed to the success of the summits.

I． Deepening Pragmatic Cooperation between China and ASEAN

Yang said that in April this year Premier Wen announced on behalf of the Chinese government to establish the China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund with a total size of US$10 billion, provide ASEAN with US$15 billion of credit support and offer RMB270 million of special assistance to the less developed members of ASEAN. Those policy measures will undoubtedly provide timely help to the ASEAN members which have suffered a lot from the international financial crisis. In response to the concern of ASEAN members about when and how to use the fund, Premier Wen declared during the summits that the first-phase US$1 billion of China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund has been raised and will start investment activities before the end of this year. Among the US$15 billion of credit support, China has decided to add another US$5 billion to the US$1.7 billion of concessionary credit line which had been announced earlier to enhance support for ASEAN members.

Yang noted that the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) will be built completely in 2010 as scheduled. Premier Wen pointed out we should make best use of the FTA to boost bilateral exchanges and cooperation. To that end, China will hold the FTA forum next year, and both sides will build the FTA commercial portals respectively, establish economic cooperation zones within ASEAN members and eliminate technical trade barriers. Premier Wen also raised many suggestions on speeding up the development of interconnected infrastructure network in the region, deepening agricultural and rural cooperation and enhancing cooperation in ecological environment, A H1N1 influenza prevention and control and social and cultural fields, which will not only help enhance the development capacity of ASEAN members but also boost the all-round and sustainable development of China-ASEAN relations.

Participating leaders all spoke highly of China’s pursuit of the good-neighborly and friendly policy and commitment to strengthening cooperation with ASEAN. They agreed that China, by supporting and helping ASEAN members in overcoming difficulties and coping with challenges with tangible actions, is a major force of maintaining financial and economic stability and promoting peace and development in the region. They expressed willingness to further step up the pragmatic cooperation with China. A number of cooperation documents, including the MOU on the establishment of China-ASEAN Center, China-ASEAN IPR cooperation MOU and BIMP-EAGA economic cooperation agreement, were signed during the summits,.

II. Advancing Regional Cooperation in East Asia

Yang indicated that China is one of the earliest countries advocating and supporting East Asian cooperation. Premier Wen elaborated China’s position and proposition on East Asian cooperation. He pointed out that East Asian countries have large populations, different cultures and unbalanced development and multiple cooperation mechanisms coexist in the region. He stressed that countries should seek common ground while putting aside differences, properly handle disputes and maintain the overall situation of stability and tranquility; stimulate the sustainable and healthy economic and social development; promote the diversity and harmonious coexistence of civilizations; complement each other with distinct advantages with the 10+1 mechanism as the basis, the 10+3 mechanism as the main channel and East Asia Summit as the key strategic forum and stride towards the long-term goal of building an East Asian community.

Yang said that the regional economy has shown positive signs of recovery at present. However, we still have a long way to go to resume relatively fast economic growth. Premier Wen noted that to cope with the international financial crisis remains the top priority. East Asian countries should not shake their determination, policies or efforts of tackling the crisis. They should get prepared to cope with it for a fairly long period of time and should not lightly withdraw from their economic stimulus programs. They should enhance trade and investment facilitation and expand trade and investment in the region; comply with the trend of the new round of industrial revolution worldwide and improve cooperation on green economy, circular economy, modern agriculture and manufacturing industry. Premier Wen proposed to sign the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation agreement and build the regional foreign exchange reserve pool within this year; set up an independent regional surveillance unit; advance the development of Asian Bond Markets and declared that China will provide US$200 million for the regional Credit Guarantee and Investment Mechanism in order to enhance the ability of the region of jointly guarding against crisis.

He noted that infrastructure is a bottleneck to development in this region but also a new economic growth point. Premier Wen advocated that countries take advantage of their fund, technology and human resources to speed up planning and coordination and build an efficient regional infrastructure network in order to vigorously support East Asian integration.

National leaders at the summits responded to Premier Wen’s initiatives and proposals actively, widely praised China’s major contributions to promoting East Asian cooperation and expressed willingness to join hands to create a better future for East Asian cooperation.

III. Promoting Development of China’s Bilateral Relations with Relevant Countries

Yang pointed out that China always attaches great importance to developing the good-neighborly friendship and cooperative relations with surrounding countries. During the summits, Premier Wen held a number of bilateral meetings and reached many important consensuses.

During Premier Wen’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the two leaders agreed to push forward consistently China-India strategic partnership of cooperation oriented towards peace and prosperity. China and India do not regard each other as threat and welcome each other’s progress. The two countries should pursue the good-neighborly friendship, maintain high-level contacts, build up political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen coordination on major issues like international financial crisis and climate change and promote common development. As to the border issue, the two prime ministers agreed that the political guidelines which had been reached be followed and sincere dialogue be carried out to achieve progress on the negotiations and ultimately reach a fair and just solution acceptable to both. The two sides should make joint efforts to ensure tranquility and stability in the frontier area.

When meeting with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Premier Wen said that the bilateral relations should be handled in the principle of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and seeking common ground while putting aside differences. The core interests and major concerns of each other should be respected and taken into account. Both sides should enhance dialogue, exchange and cooperation and constantly enrich the connotation of China-Australia all-round cooperative relations, on which Rudd expressed agreement. He noted that the Australian side firmly pursues the one-China policy, respects China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and expects to reinforce strategic cooperation with China in various fields. Talking about the China-Australia free trade agreement, the two prime ministers reiterated that the two countries should make relentless efforts to push forward related negotiations in an active, pragmatic, balanced and mutually beneficial manner and try to enter into a high quality and comprehensive free trade arrangement acceptable to both.

Premier Wen also met with prime ministers of Thailand, Myanmar and New Zealand and reached wide consensuses with them on lifting up high-level contacts and mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pushing forward regional cooperation and intensifying coordination and communications on coping with the international financial crisis and climate change.

The visit of Premier Wen has achieved fruitful outcomes and embodies far-reaching significance. With sincere and tangible actions, it fully demonstrates China’s pursuit of the diplomatic principle of “being a good friend and good partner of surrounding countries”, noted Yang. Just as Premier Wen pointed out, China will, with the greatest sincerity, determination and confidence, make concerted efforts with other East Asian countries to achieve common development, sustainable development and harmonious development.