At the present stage, the Asia-Pacific, Asia in particular has maintained fast development and become one of the most dynamic regions with the fastest growth and a rising status in the world. As a responsible member of the Asia-Pacific family, China is committed to the path of peaceful development and the win-win strategy of opening-up, takes active part in developing good-neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation with other Asia-Pacific countries based on the Five Principals of Peaceful Co-existence, and cooperates closely with other countries in the region to share opportunities and counter challenges, ushering in a new era of Asia-Pacific development. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce China's Asia-Pacific policy and share some of my personal thoughts.
I. Relations between China and Other Asia-Pacific Countries
China always gives top priority to its neighborhood in its foreign policy and takes active steps to further good-neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation with other Asia-Pacific countries. In recent years, thanks to the concerted efforts of China and other Asia-Pacific countries, China's development and the development of the Asia-Pacific as a whole has accompanied and reinforced each other. In the course of working through the crisis together, mutual trust between China and other regional countries has become a deeply ingrained belief and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides has grown in a steady and comprehensive way.
China and other Asia-Pacific countries have conducted close political contacts, established partnerships in various forms and maintained frequent high-level visits and exchanges. The good-neighborly relations between China and its neighboring countries have strengthened.
China has been actively involved in mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries in the region in trade, investment, finance, hi-tech, infrastructure connectivity and FTA building. This has injected strong impetus into regional economic development and presented enormous business opportunities to all countries. China is the largest export market for other Asian countries, the biggest trading partner of ASEAN, Japan, the ROK, India and Australia, the largest source of investment for many countries in the region, and contributes over 58% to the Asian economic growth. China has stepped up its assistance to personnel and technical training for other countries in the region with a view to promoting common development and common progress.
The people-to-people exchanges between China and other Asia-Pacific countries have deepened. China has established in Asia more than 100 Confucius institutes and Confucius classes, and hosted a large number of Asian students. Cultural and art exchanges in various forms held by China were warmly received and have tremendously boosted the friendship between the Chinese people and people of other countries in the region.
China has played an active part in advancing regional cooperation, and made important contribution to its development. China sticks to the East Asian cooperation architecture with ASEAN playing a central role, 10+1 as the basis, 10+3 as the main channel and the EAS as an important supplement. China has worked for new headway in 10+1 and 10+3 cooperation in economy, trade, finance, food security and people-to-people exchanges. China has steadily advanced its practical cooperation with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and appointed its representative to SAARC. China has actively promoted trade and investment liberalization and facilitation in the Asia-Pacific region and supported building APEC into an important regional platform for business cooperation.
China has taken an active part in regional security cooperation, joined the efforts to meet non-traditional security challenges, worked hard to facilitate peaceful resolution of regional hotspot issues, and played an important role in upholding regional peace and stability.
II. Basic Principles of China's Asia-Pacific Policy
First, uphold cooperation. With deepening globalization and wider application of information technology, the world has become increasingly inter-connected, the interests of countries are closely entwined. Asia-Pacific countries face the common mission of maintaining peace and stability, the common task of promoting growth and eradicating poverty, and the common challenge of preventing frequent outbreak of disputes and achieving transformation of the mode of development. We maintain that countries abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices, uphold a new concept of solidarity and win-win cooperation, and open up a new prospect of an Asia-Pacific enjoying peace, cooperation and mutual benefit.
Second, seek development. The Asia-Pacific has on the whole maintained a sound momentum of growth. But the region also faces many uncertainties and destabilizing factors. In terms of the external environment, the deep impact of the international financial crisis is still with us. Sovereign debt crises in some countries are still acute. The Western Asia and Northern Africa region remains turbulent. In terms of the internal environment, Asia-Pacific still faces such challenges as uneven development, regional hotspot and non-traditional security issues. We should seize the overriding trend of development, promote better and faster development of the region, make the pie of common interests bigger, let the people in this region enjoy the dividends of development, and effectively resolve multiple challenges through common development.
Third, implement the new security concept. International security threats are more complex and diverse today. Security issues tend to be more explosive, contagious and inter-connected. To effectively meet various security problems, we uphold the new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, and seek integrated security, common security, and cooperation-based security.
Fourth, respect diversity. The Asia-Pacific is remarkably diverse and complex. Countries are different in political and economic system, historical and cultural background and social development model. This is the feature of this region and its source of vigor and vitality. We should respect the realities in the Asia-Pacific, carry on the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, seeking common ground while shelving differences and mutual accommodation, and promote diverse and parallel forms of development.
III. Basic Objectives of China's Asia-Pacific Policy
China upholds the policy of fostering friendship and partnership with its neighbors and takes active steps to work with other countries in the region to expand mutually beneficial cooperation, properly deal with differences, and build a peaceful, growing, prosperous and harmonious Asia-Pacific.
On the political front, we uphold equality among all countries, regardless of their size, follow the principle of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs and work continuously to build political mutual trust and mutual understanding. China believes that the internal affairs of a country should be independently decided by the country itself while regional affairs should be settled by regional countries through consultation on an equal footing. We respect the development paths and values chosen independently by regional countries and the exploration of countries in promoting economic and social development and improving people's living standards. We are committed to enhancing good-neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries in the region through close high-level contacts and sustained strategic communication.
On the economic front, we are committed to achieving common development in the region and beyond. China stands ready to step up coordination on macroeconomic policies with other Asia-Pacific countries and support and help regional countries within our ability in order to strengthen the internal drivers and dynamism for regional economic growth, promote balanced economic and social development in regional countries, and deepen common interests for the benefit of development and prosperity throughout the region.
On the security front, we maintain that countries, while upholding their own security, should respect the security of other countries to create a peaceful and stable regional security environment. China advocates and follows a new security concept and opposes any move to ensure one's own security at the expense of others' security. We call on countries in the region to accommodate each other's security concerns, demonstrate as much goodwill, wisdom and patience as possible, solve differences through dialogue and consultation, take gradual steps to build consensus, remove differences and advance cooperation, and work together for an Asia-Pacific security architecture featuring openness, transparency and equality.
On the cultural and people-to-people front, we respect the diversity of our region, work vigorously to increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and would like to join hands with other regional countries to build a large Asia-Pacific family of diversity and harmonious co-existence. China holds the view that countries in the region should respect each other's choice of development path, turn the diversity of the region into vitality and driving force for closer exchanges and cooperation between countries, enhance the affinity and friendship among the people of different countries.
With regard to regional cooperation, given the great diversity of the region, we are working with other regional countries to push forward regional cooperation mechanisms along the path of consensus based on consultation, gradualism, openness and inclusiveness. China maintains that the existing mechanisms should be upheld on the basis of respecting the wishes and accommodating the comfort level of all parties and that various mechanisms should complement and reinforce one another to promote regional cooperation. China respects the presence and interests of countries from outside the region in Asia-Pacific and welcomes the active participation of all countries in the Asia-Pacific cooperation process. China is open to and welcomes any cooperation initiative that is conducive to converging interests and common development of regional countries.
IV. Some Personal Thoughts
First, despite the profound impact of the international financial crisis and sluggish recovery of the global economy, the Asia-Pacific region has maintained the momentum of robust growth and become an important driving force for world economic recovery and growth. Dynamic regional cooperation has played an important part in promoting development, stability and prosperity of the region. The achievements of this region are attributable to the generally peaceful and stable environment over the past decades and to the concerted efforts of all countries in the region. They should be cherished by us all. At the same time, our region still faces quite a few challenges, given this circumstance, it is all the more important that countries in the region enhance solidarity and deepen cooperation to advance the overall interests of peace and stability and boost internal growth and consumption to sustain the development momentum.
Second, in today's world where globalization is gaining momentum and interests of countries become more closely entwined, all countries shoulder shared responsibilities for upholding peace, stability and development in the region. To seek common development and common security through dialogue and cooperation is the only viable way leading to enduring peace and security. It is also the shared responsibility of all sides. We believe that Asia-Pacific countries have the wisdom and ability to reject Cold War and zero-sum mentality, properly deal with differences, and expand converging interests so as to lead our region onto a path of peace, development, prosperity and harmony in the 21st Century.
Third, stability and development of China, the most populous country in the world, is in itself a major contribution to stability and development in the region. Facts have shown that China has been committed to promoting enduring peace, mutually beneficial cooperation and common prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. China will always be a good neighbor, good friend and good partner for other Asia-Pacific countries, and contribute more to building a peaceful, growing, prosperous and harmonious Asia-Pacific region.
