Foreign and Military Affairs
Official: China wants mutual trust and benefit
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-12 07:59
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Editor's note: Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue answers some frequently asked questions about China's relations with its neighbors and burning issues in the region.
Q: Since the beginning of this year, the situation in Asia has drawn a lot of attention. As the Assistant Foreign Minister in charge of Asian Affairs, what is your view on the current situation in Asia?
A: In the larger context of deepening trends toward a multi-polar world and globalization, new changes have taken place in the economic and political landscape of Asia. Overall, the pursuit of peace, stability, cooperation and development is the defining feature of the situation in Asia.
In particular, mutual respect, good-neighborliness, friendship, seeking common ground while resolving differences and developing harmonious co-existence remain the most fundamental and important features of state-to-state relations in Asia. Asia as a whole has taken the lead in economic rebound. Emerging markets and developing countries such as China and India have maintained a strong momentum of growth, making important contributions to world economic recovery.
Most Asian countries still prefer a policy that adheres to a new security concept, rejects external interferences, addresses state-to-state disputes peacefully and upholds regional peace and stability. Asian countries have had deeper and more extensive people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Different civilizations and cultures have had dialogue and interactions in harmony and reinforced each other. Asian countries have maintained sound communication and coordination in regional and international affairs. Developing countries in Asia enjoy growing influence with higher international standings.
We are convinced that as long as Asian countries adhere to the development path suited to their respective national conditions, push forward regional cooperation, go along with the trend of the times featuring reform, openness and inclusiveness, and keep to the right direction and proven principles, they will surely take their destiny in their own hands and build a brighter future.
Q: Internationally, there have been some comments on China's relations with some of its Asian neighbors. Some even describe the relations as tense, and claim that some of the neighbors feel uneasy about China. What is the actual relationship between China and its neighbors?
A: China's ties with its Asian neighbors have indeed gone through historic changes, which are characterized by good-neighborliness, mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation. As a saying goes: facts speak louder than words.
The facts are as follows: This year, high-level exchanges between China and its Asian neighbors have remained frequent and dynamic. China has had high-level visits and exchanges with almost all Asian countries. If we count the important regional multilateral meetings attended by major Chinese leaders, such high-level exchanges number more than 60. In addition, the Chinese foreign minister has exchanged nearly 20 visits with his Asian counterparts.
This year, centering on "Friendship Year", China has held a host of commemorative activities in various forms with neighbors like India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The upcoming visit by National People's Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo to Indonesia will raise the bilateral strategic partnership to a new level. China-India relations have maintained the momentum of all-round rapid development. The traditional friendship, good-neighborly ties and mutually beneficial cooperation that China and its Asian neighbors have carried forward from generation to generation have stuck deeps roots in the hearts of their people.
This year, China's relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have built on past successes and broken new ground. At the just-concluded 13th China-ASEAN Summit, Premier Wen Jiabao and ASEAN leaders fully acknowledged the Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity (2005-2010) and agreed that China-ASEAN relations are the most pragmatic, extensive, comprehensive, vibrant and fruitful strategic relations. They also agreed to continue to pursue peaceful development through friendly cooperation, and pay more attention to sustainable economic development, all-dimensional connectivity, social and people-to-people exchanges and integration-building in East Asia. They agreed to work together to ensure the successful implementation of the second five-year action plan (2010-2015) to bring more benefits to their peoples and make more active contribution to peace, stability, development and prosperity of Asia.
Regarding the differences or disputes between China and some of its neighbors on certain issues, China has always said that they should be managed properly and resolved through dialogue and consultation based on facts and in accordance with the basic norms governing international relations.
I should point out that in bilateral contacts as well as in regional multilateral conferences this year, Asian countries have given the same message that, with its overall national strength and influence growing fast, China has made important contributions to promoting peace and prosperity of Asia, economic growth of the world and reform of the international financial system.
They have said that Asian neighbors' new type of partnerships with China have withstood the test of time and international changes, and it is their firm and consistent policy to strengthen good-neighborly ties and cooperation with China, which is of special significance to the development of Asian countries and regional peace, stability and prosperity.
In a nutshell, China's relations with its Asian neighbors have been growing and moving forward. This is a fact that no one can alter.
Q: Given the persistent impact of the international financial crisis and growing uncertainties and destabilizing factors in the international economic environment, what role do you think China and other Asian countries have played in boosting economic growth in Asia and the world at large?
A: At the ASEAN+3 Summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, recently, Republic of Korea (ROK) President Lee Myung-bak and the leaders of some ASEAN countries said that with crisis come opportunities. Every crisis and challenge, from the Asian financial crisis to the global financial crisis, has made Asian countries stronger and more united, lifted East Asia cooperation to a new level and contributed to the prosperity of the region and the world.
In October 2008, shortly after the global financial crisis broke out, leaders of East Asian countries held a breakfast meeting during the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting in Beijing. They exchanged views and reached an important eight-point consensus on ways to fend off risks and maintain stability in the Asian and the world economies, in finance, in capital markets and in people's livelihood.
Over the past two years, carrying forward the fine tradition of working together to tide over difficulties, Asian countries have strengthened solidarity and coordination, and actively promoted regional cooperation while rolling out their own stimulus packages suited to their national conditions. Asian countries have thus played an important role in helping Asia to lead the economic rebound, and made East Asia a major engine for world economic growth.
Trade: From January to September this year, the trade volume between China and other Asian countries crossed $640 billion, up 38 percent year-on-year. China's imports from Asian countries reached $361.3 billion, up by 44 percent year-on-year. China's trade deficit with Asian countries was $79.6 billion, including a trade deficit of $52.2 billion with the ROK, $41.4 billion with Japan, and $12.2 billion with ASEAN member states. China remains the biggest export market for other Asian countries. We have scaled up assistance to countries in South Asia such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are giving preferential tariff treatment to 70 percent of imports from Bangladesh and Afghanistan to reduce trade imbalances.
Free trade areas: This is the first year of the full establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA). As the biggest FTA among developing countries, CAFTA has substantially increased the efficiency in the flow of production factors like capital, resources, technology and professional talent, offering an environment never seen before for more trade and investment cooperation. According to China's statistics, from January to September this year, China-ASEAN trade volume reached $211.31 billion, up 43.7 percent year-on-year. The two-way trade volume will hopefully hit a historical high this year.
China and other East Asian countries are actively promoting the building of an East Asia Free Trade Area. China, Japan and the ROK have set the target of 2012 to complete a joint research on the possibility of setting up a trilateral FTA. We are also working with other East Asian countries to jointly reject trade protectionism and minimize the impact of the global financial crisis.
Investment: The Chinese government encourages established enterprises to expand and optimize their investments in Asian countries. Our statistics show that in the first quarter of this year, China's non-financial investment in Asian countries grew by 102 percent year-on-year, and Asia is now home to more Chinese-invested enterprises outside China than any other region in the world. In addition, the stock of China's direct investment in ASEAN countries reached $9.6 billion by the end of 2009, more than half of which had been made since 2008. Chinese investments have expanded from conventional sectors like mining and construction to energy, manufacturing and commercial services.
Infrastructure and connectivity: China actively supports the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, and is seeking to cooperate with East Asian countries in developing roads, railways, navigation routes and ports in the region. We have also intensified our participation and cooperation in Greater Mekong Sub-region Economic Cooperation, the ASEAN Mekong Basin Development Cooperation, as well as other mechanisms.
Financial cooperation: Thanks to the concerted efforts of all parties the 10+3 financial cooperation has continued to make substantive progress. We have maintained financial stability in East Asia and achieved the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization, establishing a regional foreign exchange reserve pool of $120 billion and a regional Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility of $700 million. China has signed bilateral currency exchange agreements worth 360 billion yuan ($54.27 billion) with Malaysia, Indonesia and the ROK. China, Japan and the ROK have decided to negotiate and sign a trilateral investment agreement as soon as possible.
China is now working with other East Asian countries to make the Chiang Mai Initiative more effective, strengthen exchanges and coordination on macro-economic policies, advance the development of an Asian bond market, jointly explore ways to promote cross-border bond transactions in the region, develop the capability of the bond markets, and conduct forward-looking and strategic research on how to deepen East Asian financial cooperation.
Science, technology, energy, and environmental protection: China and Japan are actively promoting cooperation on the "China-Japan Caofeidian Eco-Industrial Park" project, and China and Singapore are working on the "Sino-Singaporean Tianjin Eco-City" demonstration project. China, Japan and the ROK are earnestly implementing the Joint Statement on Strengthening Science and Innovation Cooperation Among the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and are encouraging research institutes, universities and businesses to conduct all-directional and in-depth cooperation in such key areas as energy conservation and environmental protection, new energy and renewable energy, and focusing on technology research, application research and technical innovation.
Besides, China has extended a helping hand to other Asian countries hit by natural disasters. China has provided disaster relief worth $250 million to Pakistan after the country was ravaged by one of the worst floods in history. In the wake of the earthquake, tsunami and volcano eruption in Indonesia, President Hu Jintao immediately sent a message of sympathy to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and the Chinese government offered $500,000 and the Red Cross Society of China $30,000 in grants to that country. China has taken an active part in the post-disaster reconstruction of Pakistan and the post-conflict reconstruction of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. These efforts reflect the goodwill of the Chinese people.
Development is a common task for China and other Asian countries, and it is what concerns all of us most in Asia. The global financial crisis is far from over and the Asian economy is still confronted by many foreseeable and unforeseeable risks and challenges. We will stay committed to the opening-up strategy of mutual progress and mutual benefit, work together with other Asian countries and help and support each other to push the Asian economy toward total recovery and then growth.
Q: A few burning issues around China have been drawing much attention. Being a major country in the region, what has China done to maintain regional peace and stability?
A: The security environment around China is very complicated, with traditional and nontraditional security challenges intertwined. China believes that the old security concept and security logic defined by alignment, strength, deterrence and power should be rejected in the region. And a new security concept should be established with mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination at its core. The new concept recognizes, respects and rises above national differences in terms of ideology, values, social systems and stages of development. China has been doing what it says. It has played an active and constructive role in addressing burning issues. It has made dedicated efforts to seek peaceful resolution of disputes over territory, territorial sea and maritime rights and interests through friendly negotiations.
The overall situation in the South China Sea is stable, although there are some disturbances. To maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and serve the common interests of China and other countries in the region, it is important to refrain from expanding, complicating or internationalizing the disputes and thus avoiding conflicts and tension. We believe that disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully through bilateral negotiations between the parties directly involved.
Pending a solution, we can shelve the disputes and engage in joint development. We are ready to work with the parties concerned to follow through with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, build mutual trust and promote cooperation. The parties to the disputes have agreed on a host of important principles to peacefully resolve the disputes. The channels of dialogue and consultation between the parities are open and unfettered. The parties are wise and capable of resolving their issues on their own. And some parties to the disputes share the view that forces from outside the region should not be involved in the disputes.
The freedom and safety of navigation in the South China Sea, which has one of the world's busiest international shipping lanes, has never been compromised by the disputes. It has never been an issue. China has placed high importance on the freedom and security of navigation in the South China Sea, and has always said that freedom of navigation should be guaranteed in the South China Sea. We will continue to actively engage in maritime security cooperation in the region.
Being adjacent to the Korean Peninsula, China has followed closely the development of the situation there and made persistent efforts to encourage the parties concerned to meet each other half way and improve their relations to uphold peace and stability in Northeast Asia. The once tense situation on the peninsula seems to have relaxed recently. The parties have had useful contacts and discussions on the resumption of the Six-Party Talks and other matters. In fact, they are willing to restart the Six-Party Talks to try and improve their relations and take the denuclearization process forward. We welcome this development.
We are of the view that addressing the concerns of various parties in a balanced manner and setting up a Northeast Asia peace and security mechanism through the Six-Party Talks will reduce problems and disputes in the region and contribute to enduring peace on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia and ultimately lead to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. China will continue to work with the five other parities and the international community, and play a constructive role in the denuclearization of the peninsula and upholding peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
Q: China and its neighbors have cordial people-to-people ties and cultural similarities. What has China done in recent years to promote social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges with other Asian countries? What are the achievements?
A: China enjoys an enduring and strong historical and cultural bond with other Asian countries. It shares linguistic and cultural roots and has cultural similarities with some Asian nations. Such conditions have laid a solid basis for China to carry out social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation with its neighboring countries at the right time.
Since China advocates an open and inclusive concept of civilization, it believes that it is important to vigorously facilitate social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges among Asian nations on the basis of fully respecting their cultures and traditions, social and political systems and paths of economic development. This will further enhance understanding, friendship and mutual trust between the peoples of China and its neighboring countries. It will consolidate public support for friendly relations between China and its neighbors, too.
Cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and its neighboring countries have been most robust in recent years through broader and more substantive cooperation on a larger scale. More and more people are traveling between China and other Asian countries. Last year, Chinese immigration authorities registered about 21.6898 million inbound and outbound visits by people from Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia alone. Apart from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Asian countries are the most popular overseas tourist destinations for Chinese mainland residents. And Japan and the ROK were the two largest sources of foreign visitors to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
In 2009, more than 160,000 students from other Asian countries came to study in China. Eight of China's neighbors are among its top 10 overseas sources of students. We place great importance on enhanced youth exchanges among Asian countries and have established annual youth exchange mechanisms with Japan, India, Vietnam, Mongolia and Pakistan.
We have set up more than 100 Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms in Asia and Chinese Cultural Centers in the ROK, Japan and Mongolia. "Happy Spring Festival", "China-Thailand Affinity" Gala, "Asian Arts Festival" and other Chinese cultural exchange programs have been well-received by people in neighboring countries. We value media exchanges and cooperation with other Asian countries. Regional information ministers' conferences and high-level forums on broadcasting and television have been held regularly. We encourage exchanges and visits between media organizations of China and other Asian nations to increase media coverage about each other and enhance mutual understanding.
China has actively trained all kinds of professionals from other developing countries in Asia. In the past few years, more than 14,000 professionals from 10 ASEAN member states have received training in more than 10 areas, including economy, trade, telecommunications, agriculture and finance. The programs have been financed by the Special Fund for Asia Cooperation, ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund and some foreign assistance funds.
Mutual trust is essential for strong state-to-state relations. The public is the foundation of good-neighborly ties. China will always work with its neighbors to have more cultural, tourist, educational and youth exchanges and cooperation, and further deepen mutual understanding and friendship among the peoples to garner support for good-neighborly ties.
Q: Asia, as a whole, is now on an upward trajectory with a higher standing and greater voice and influence in major international issues. How does China coordinate and cooperate with other Asian countries on major global issues?
A: China has highlighted major global issues such as reform of the international system, climate change, energy, food security and sustainable development. Vibrant bilateral and multilateral cooperation on such issues has become a most promising new growth area in international cooperation. Since China, India, Indonesia and other emerging countries in Asia now have a more important role to play, the international community pays closer attention to Asian nations' stance on global issues. China and many Asian countries, which are in similar situations and share the fundamental interests, have engaged in multifaceted coordination and cooperation to address global issues together.
We have reached out to the ROK, India, Indonesia and other Asian members of G20 to coordinate positions to jointly facilitate reform of the international financial system, enhance institutional power of emerging markets and developing countries in such international governance mechanisms as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and to actively support the ROK in hosting the G20 Seoul Summit.
We have established a climate change partnership with India to increase dialogue and cooperation at international climate negotiations in a joint endeavor to safeguard the rights and interests of developing countries. We have identified new cooperation areas in circular economy and sustainable development with Japan, the ROK and Singapore.
Construction has started on the Sino-Singaporean Tianjin Eco-City. China is discussing with Japan and the ROK the possibility of building a China-Japan-ROK circular economy demonstration base. We have enhanced cooperation with ASEAN member states on agriculture and food production to ensure food security and boost rural development. We have also established mechanisms such as energy cooperation forum with some Asian countries to explore cooperation on energy security, higher energy efficiency and new energy development technology.
Global efforts are needed to resolve global issues. China will continue to step up coordination and cooperation with other Asian countries to jointly help resolve global issues for the benefit of mankind and safeguard and advance the common interests of Asian countries.
(China Daily 11/12/2010 page9)
