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Diplomacy 'should boost economies'

By Zhang Haizhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-09 08:14

China is telling the world that boosting the economy is of utmost importance in times of a global financial turmoil, experts said yesterday, citing Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's briefing on Saturday.

During the 90-minute-long news conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC), Yang stressed that China's over-arching objective was to "spare no effort to ensure steady and rapid economic development".

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi answers a question at a press conference held on the sidelines of the Second Session of the 11th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 7, 2009. [Xinhua]

He said the forthcoming G20 summit in London should "play a role in boosting confidence, strengthening coordination on macroeconomic policies, stabilizing financial markets (and) undertaking necessary reforms in the global financial system and regulatory regime".

"Yang said diplomacy should serve economic growth, meaning boosting their economies is the overarching theme for all countries," Professor Shi Yinhong, with the Renmin University of China, said.

Full coverage:  NPC and CPPCC 2009 Related readings:  China's diplomacy serves economy: FM  China ready to work with others at G20 - FM  Chinese FM meets journalists on foreign policies  Chinese FM Yang Jiechi meets journalists

Sino-US Ties

Professor Pang Zhongying, his colleague, said Yang meant Sino-US relations were of greater importance.

Pang pointed out that Yang cautiously avoided criticizing the US when asked to give his view on Washington's role in the crisis, drawing attention instead to President Hu Jintao's imminent first meeting with US President Barack Obama, due during the G20 summit in London in early April.

Yang is off on a 5-day work visit to the US, starting March 8, to facilitate the groundwork for the meeting, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ties between the Chinese and US governments took off well since the new Obama administration took office, Yang said.

Yang acknowledged that China's energy and resource cooperation with African countries was based on mutual benefit, adding that Beijing was deeply touched by African goodwill, even as some African leaders said they had nothing concrete to offer.

Beijing's continuous assistance to African countries will be even more crucial than before, said Dai Yan, a former councilor in Ghana, given that Africa was likely to face "decreasing assistance, trade, and tourists from the Western world during economic crisis" in the time of a global financial crisis.

Beijing should appeal to the developed world not to cut its assistance to Africa, economically the "most vulnerable place", Dai added.