Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue's remarks on China's Asia policy
Question: China and its neighboring countries enjoy geographical proximity, cordial people-to-people ties and similar cultures. What has China done in recent years to promote social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges with other Asian countries? What are the achievements?
Answer: China enjoys geographical proximity and an enduring and strong historical and cultural bond with other Asian countries. It shares the same linguistic and cultural roots and has cultural similarities with some Asian nations. Such enabling conditions as geographical advantage and popular support 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. As China advocates an open and inclusive concept on civilization, it believes that it is important to vigorously facilitate social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges among Asian nations with different cultural background and political systems the basis of fully respecting the cultural tradition, social system and development path of individual countries. This will further enhance understanding, friendship and mutual trust between the people of China and its neighboring countries. And it will consolidate public support for friendly relations between China and its neighbors.
Cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and its neighboring countries have been most robust in recent years, as evidenced by even broader and more substantive cooperation on a larger scale. More and more people are traveling between China and other Asian countries. Chinese immigration authorities registered in 2009 a total of 21.6898 million inbound and outbound visits made by people from Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia alone. Among the top ten overseas tourist destinations for Chinese citizens on the mainland, Asian countries are the most popular choices apart from China’s Hong Kong and Macau regions. Japan and the ROK were the two largest sources of foreign visitors to the Shanghai World Expo this year.
In 2009, more than 160,000 students from other Asian countries came to study in China. Eight of the top 10 home countries of foreign students here are China’s neighbors. 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 Culture Centers in the ROK, Japan and Mongolia. “Happy Spring Festival”, “China-Thailand Affinity” Gala, “Asian Arts Festival” and other external cultural exchange programs are well-received among governments and people of neighboring countries.
We value media exchanges and cooperation with other Asian countries. Press ministers conference and high-level forum on broadcasting and television have been held on a regular basis. 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.
The Chinese government has actively trained all kinds of professionals for other developing countries in Asia. In the past few years, more than 14,000 professionals from 10 ASEAN members in over 10 areas such as economy, trade, telecommunications, agriculture and finance have been trained in programs financed by the Special Fund for Asia Cooperation, ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund and some foreign assistance funds.
Mutual trust is essential to strong state-to-state relations. The general public is the foundation for good-neighborliness ties. China will work with neighboring countries as always to step up cultural, tourist, educational and youth exchanges and cooperation, and further deepen mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples so as to cement popular support for our good-neighborly ties.
Question: Asia, as a whole, is now on an upward trajectory with a higher standing in the international architecture and greater voice and influence on major international issues. How does China coordinate and cooperate with other Asian countries on major global issues?
Answer: Major global issues such as reform of the international system, climate change, energy and food security and sustainable development have been put under the spotlight. Bilateral and multilateral cooperation on such issues, which has been very vibrant, has become a most promising new growth area in international cooperation. As China, India, Indonesia and other emerging developing countries in Asia have a more important role to play, the international community pays closer attention to where Asian nations stand on global issues. China and many Asian countries, which have similar circumstances and positions and the same 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 G20 Asian members 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 IMF and the World Bank, and actively support the ROK in hosting the Seoul Summit. We have established a climate change partnership with India to increase dialogue and cooperation in 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 in the Sino-Singaporean Tianjin Eco-city. China is discussing with Japan and the ROK building a China-Japan-ROK circular economy demonstration base. We have enhanced cooperation with ASEAN members on agriculture and food production to ensure food security and boost rural development. We have also established such mechanisms as energy cooperation forum with some Asian countries to explore cooperation on energy security, higher energy efficiency and new energy development technology.
To resolve global issues requires global efforts. China will continue to step up coordination and cooperation with other Asian countries in a joint effort to help resolve global issues, to the benefit of mankind and safeguard and advance the common interests of Asian countries.