Foreign Minister Wang Yi Talks about President Xi Jinping's Visit to Indonesia and Malaysia and Attendance of the 21st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting
From October 2 to 8, 2013, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Indonesia and Malaysia and attended the 21st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Bali, Indonesia. When President Xi's trip was coming to an end, Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked about the trip and its outcomes.
Wang Yi said that the economic globalization and regional integration is accelerating. The Asia Pacific region has become an important engine driving the growth of world economy. However, the Asia Pacific is also faced with various challenges. Pursuing peace, seeking development, promoting cooperation and striving for an all-win situation is the common wish of countries in the region. China's fate and interests are closely tied with the fate and interests of neighboring countries. Fulfilling the two centenary goals requires a peaceful, stable, commonly-developing neighboring environment. President Xi's visit is a major diplomatic move of the new leadership of the CPC Central Committee towards the Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific. President Xi visited two countries in ASEAN and attended the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting with the goal of creating a new landscape for the diplomacy with neighboring countries, boosting the Asia-Pacific regional cooperation, and realizing the development and prosperity of the region.
In the seven-day time, President Xi attended nearly 50 bilateral and multilateral events, had extensive engagements with different communities, delivered important speeches, and talked about friendship, future and cooperation. Important outcomes were achieved through the visit.
I. Taking China-Indonesia and China-Malaysia Relations into a New Stage
Wang Yi said that Indonesia is a big developing country, an important emerging market, and the biggest member in ASEAN. Malaysia is an important member in ASEAN and the largest trading partner of China in ASEAN. China's relationships with the two countries always ranked at the top of China's relationships with other ASEAN countries. China and the two countries enjoy tremendous potentials for cooperation and have strong aspirations to consolidate cooperation. Further improving the bilateral relations is a choice that the two sides have to make to comply with the trend of the times in the new situation and from a long-term perspective. It will play a leading and exemplary role in stepping up China's relationship with ASEAN.
President Xi had long conversations respectively with the leaders of the two countries and they had enhanced mutual understanding, friendship and trust. They decided to upgrade China-Indonesia and China-Malaysia relations to the level of comprehensive strategic partnerships. They agreed to maintain frequent visits and strengthen the top-level design for bilateral relations.
China also signed the five-year plans for economic and trade cooperation respectively with the two countries to accommodate their respective development strategies. They also identified new objectives and priority areas for cooperation. They put forward the goal of raising the bilateral trade volume between China and Indonesia to $80 billion by 2015 and raising the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia to $160 billion by 2017 and agreed to maintain and expand the size of bilateral local currency swap. The areas of cooperation between China and Indonesia have expanded to sky and ocean, including aerospace, outer space and ocean. China and Malaysia will develop China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park (QIP) and Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) into the flagships of investment cooperation between the two countries.
In early 15th century, Zheng He's voyage had reached Indonesia and Malaysia a number of times. President Xi mentioned the expedition of Zheng He, an unforgettable legacy in the history of friendly exchanges between China and Indonesia and between China and Malaysia, on a number of occasions. He also cited many quotes from the classics to tell the touching stories about how the Chinese, Indonesian and Malaysian people watched out and helped each other in times of difficulties. President Xi encouraged to the young people of China and Indonesia to be the successors of friendship and called on the overseas Chinese in Malaysia to make new contributions to the friendly cooperation between China and Malaysia. Peng Liyuan, President Xi's wife, attended local welfare and charity activities and shortened the distance between the people of the two countries.
Communities in Indonesia and Malaysia all spoke highly of President Xi Jinping's visit and considered that President Xi's visit is of historical significance and a new milestone in the bilateral relations. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wished to increase cooperation with China and seek for common development with China by taking the important opportunities of upgrading the bilateral relationship. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that China is a trustworthy and sincere friend of Malaysia.
II. Setting New Goals for China's Relations with ASEAN Countries
Wang Yi said that China and ASEAN countries are connected by mountains, waters and bloods. Developing the good-neighborly and amicable relationship with ASEAN countries is a priority in China's diplomacy with neighboring countries. 2013 marks the 10th anniversary of China-ASEAN strategic partnership. Bilateral relations are standing at a historical point between the past and the future.
President Xi elaborated on China's policies towards ASEAN and identified the long-term goals for the development of China-ASEAN relations. He pointed out that China and ASEAN countries have common pursuits in the process of development, share common interests to safeguard regional prosperity and stability and speak common languages in regional and international affairs. He stressed that China will continue to stick to the policy of building friendship and partnership with neighboring countries. China will continue to promote trust, cultivate goodwill and seek for win-win cooperation with ASEAN countries. China is willing to discuss the making of the treaty of friendship, cooperation and good-neighborly relations with ASEAN countries. China is willing to join hands with ASEAN countries build a closer China-ASEAN community of common fate and to be a good neighbor, friend and partner watching out for each other, sharing woe and weal and staying in the same boat in times of difficulties with ASEAN countries. China will open wider to ASEAN countries, upgrade the level of China-ASEAN free trade area and bring bilateral trade volume to $1 trillion by 2020. China proposed to establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to drive the connectivity among ASEAN countries and developing countries in the region. China is willing to develop a sound marine cooperation partnership with ASEAN countries and jointly build a "marine silk road" for the 21st century.
The visit sent out a strong signal that China is willing to stand together with ASEAN countries in times of difficulties and march forward together with ASEAN countries and injected new vitalities into China-ASEAN cooperation. The leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia and other ASEAN countries all spoke highly of the propositions of President Xi and expressed the willingness to work together with China to push forward China-ASEAN relations and participate in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank proposed by China. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra also expressed her alignment with the principles and propositions put forward by China and her willingness to work with China to boost ASEAN-China friendly cooperation and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.
III. Guiding APEC to Achieve New Development
Wang Yi said that APEC is the economic cooperation organization that is of the highest level, covers the widest fields, and is the most influential in the Asia-Pacific Region. Under the new situation, whether the Asia-Pacific economy can keep the vitality and whether APEC can lead the Asia-Pacific regional cooperation have attracted lots of attention. The host country Indonesia has defined the theme of the APEC meeting this year as "Dynamic Asia-Pacific, the World's Engine", and the main topics include the Bogor Goals, sustainable and equitable growth, Asia-Pacific connectivity, and others. These are closely connected with the long-term development of the Asia-Pacific.
President Xi Jinping has accurately grasped the economic situation of the world and the Asia-Pacific, and proposed to maintain and develop an open economy, to promote the establishment of a development pattern in the Asia-Pacific Region, featuring policy coordination, interlinked growth, interest and integration, to deepen economic restructuring, to oppose trade protectionism, and to build Asia-Pacific connectivity across the Pacific Ocean. This not only focuses on addressing the challenges facing the Asia-Pacific, but also prescribes a recipe for the future development, and is conducive to helping the Asia-Pacific Region continue to play the role as an engine for the world economy. President Xi Jinping proposed that Asia-Pacific economies uphold the principle of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win results, strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination, and make an overall plan of various free trade arrangements to promote APEC's leading role in coordination. At the meeting place, China's voice is resounding, China's proposal is very practical, embodying the constructive role of China in promoting regional cooperation and regional economic integration. At the meeting, Xi Jinping also introduced the basic thought on China hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting next year, and hoped to take this opportunity to deepen cooperation among the Asia-Pacific economies, to build closer partnership for the future, and to jointly draw up the long-term development vision in the Asia-Pacific. It formed resonance with the desires of all parties to strengthen cooperation under the framework of APEC, and got positive comments.
The series of important ideas put forward by President Xi Jinping are in line with China's insistence on the Scientific Outlook on Development, and on deepening reform, are also the order of the day for China to pursue the strategy of mutual benefits, win-win results and opening-up, and are widely agreed by all parties. The Leaders' Declaration was issued at the meeting, and positive results were achieved in developing an open economy, supporting multilateral trading system, coordinating regional free trade arrangements, promoting Asia-Pacific connectivity, boosting Asia-Pacific economic transformation and growth, and other fields.
IV. Showing the New Prospects of China's Economic Development
Wang Yi pointed out that China can't develop without the Asia-Pacific, and the Asia-Pacific can't prosper without China. About the attention of various parties to the development prospects of the Chinese economy, President Xi Jinping, at various occasions, has comprehensively introduced China's good economic situation, with overall stability and steady growth, expounded China's new ideas and new measures on deepening reform and opening up, and stressed that China is speeding up the transformation of economic development mode, with a focus on improving the quality and benefits of development. We are full of confidence in the sustainable and healthy development of the Chinese economy.
President Xi Jinping stressed that China is committed to achieving the Chinese dream of bringing about a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Chinese dream is interlinked with the beautiful dream of the people of all countries in Asia to pursue peace, prosperity and happiness. What China brings to Asia and the world is development opportunities, rather than threats. China is willing to continue to share development achievements with ASEAN, Asia and the world.
President Xi Jinping passed on a firm and clear message, and boosted confidence of the outside world in China's economic development. All parties highly appreciated China's economic development and its important role in promoting the prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and the world. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Indonesia and China have similar dreams, and our two countries are at different beds but share the same dream. Najib Razak said that Malaysia believes that the Chinese economy will continue to maintain strong development momentum, and the beautiful Asian development vision is interlinked with the Chinese dream. Malaysian Supreme Head of State Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah said that China's economic development and its great potential have injected strong momentum into the global economy. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra of Thailand appreciates China's insistence on reform and opening up, and thinks that China's economic development is very important to the ASEAN. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that China's economic growth is still the world's fastest, making various countries envious. China's increasing national strength is good news to the world, rather than a challenge.
In the end, Wang Yi said that President Xi Jinping's visit will have an important and far-reaching influence on building a better and more stable surrounding environment. This is Xi Jinping's fourth visit this year. Within the short period of half a year, President Xi Jinping has left his footprints throughout Europe, the United States, Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as bilateral and multilateral, great powers and surrounding countries, developed countries, emerging markets, and developing countries, put forward a series of new diplomatic ideas, and carried out a series of new diplomatic practices. He has deepened the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia, built a new model of major-country relations between China and the United States, planned the Silk Road economic belt in Eurasia, proposed to build China-ASEAN community of common destiny, put forward real, substantial, close and honest policies to Africa, insisted on the right international idea of morality and profits, called for the development of an open economy, and etc., presenting the Chinese solutions, setting up the image of China, showing the wisdom of China, and playing China's part. China's diplomacy has started with a spectacular opening and vigor under the new situation, fully reflecting the strategies of CPC Central Committee, led by General Secretary of the Communist Party Xi Jinping, and its accurate understanding of the general trend of China's development. We will fully implement the achievements of Xi Jinping's visits, insist on peaceful development, the good-neighborliness and friendliness, the pioneering spirit, the win-win cooperation, and comprehensively promote the major-country diplomacy with the Chinese characteristics, making a greater contribution to promoting the cause of human peace and development.
