Promoting All-round Cooperation for a Better Future

Mao Rubai

Former Chairman of the Committee on Environmental and Resources Protection,

National People’s Congress, and Adviser to the CPAPD

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon! It gives me great pleasure to discuss with friends from Southeast Asia here at this forum the issues of peace, development and cooperation in our countries. I believe that the candid and in-depth exchange of views between us will make positive contribution to the all-round cooperation between countries in this region and provide valuable input to the process of working together for a better future.

As is known to all, the world has entered a new era of peace and development. Thanks to the concerted efforts of all countries in this region, Southeast Asia has maintained peace and stability for quite a long time, achieved faster economic growth, and improved its strategic position and influence in the international community, thus playing an increasingly larger role in promoting world peace and development. We note with great pleasure the heartening achievements Southeast Asia has made in becoming one of the world’s most promising and dynamic regions, which is hard-earned and very impressive. In boosting peace and development in this region, China and Southeast Asian countries have created many favorable conditions and gained a wealth of experience. Future efforts should build on such success, and we strongly believe, Southeast Asia holds the promise of sustainable peace and development if we continue to work together, draw on each other’s strengths, and overcome all the difficulties.

Southeast Asian countries are close neighbors to China and history has told us about their frequent friendly communication and exchanges with China. Ever since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese government has been committed to growing its friendly and cooperative relations with Southeast Asian countries. Good neighborly relations have been established between us based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, and close friendships have been developed between our people. China values such time-honored relations very much. Currently, China is focusing on growing its economy, pressing ahead with the policy of reform and opening up, and following the path of peaceful development. Seeking peace and development is the biggest concern and also a shared task of developing countries like China and Southeast Asian countries. In the new era, along with fast economic growth and social progress, the friendly cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries is bound to reach a new stage of development.

While pursing its own development, China also gives much attention to growing its relationship with ASEAN, the regional organization established by Southeast Asian countries, and supports the efforts of ASEAN to play an increasingly bigger role in regional affairs. China and ASEAN have maintained a dialogue for 21 years and the cooperation between the two sides have produced impressive results. Their cooperation in all fields has not only promoted each other’s economic and social development but also contributed significantly to the improvement of people’s well-being in this region as well as the peace and development of mankind.

Politically, the principles of respect for each other’s sovereignty and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs have been followed and mutual trust has been boosted. Southeast Asian countries adhere to the One-China principle and respect and support China’s stance on sovereignty and other major issues of principle. China respects Southeast Asian countries’ right to choose their own paths of development and values, supports ASEAN to handle disputes in it own way, and opposes other countries’ interfering in ASEAN’s internal affairs. China supports ASEAN integration and the building of the ASEAN Community, and believes that ASEAN is fully capable of continuing to play a leading role in promoting cooperation in East Asia. China and ASEAN have established important dialogue and cooperation mechanisms such as “10+1”, “10+3”, East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum, etc. Moreover, China has officially deployed a permanent mission to ASEAN. The communication and cooperation between both sides have covered more fields than ever and reached an unprecedented height. In such a context, China and Southeast Asian countries have dedicated themselves to growing their good-neighborly friendships and creating a safe and harmonious regional environment. China will never seek regional or global hegemony. It opposes hegemonism and power politics, and will always pursue the policy of friendship and partnership with neighboring countries and observe the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. All parties in this region are ready to resolve disputes and long-standing problems through dialogue and consultation and oppose external interference in regional disputes on any pretext. In addition, China and ASEAN countries have made active efforts to promote the building of a Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, and collaborated with each other on regional and international affairs.

Economically, the two sides have had pragmatic cooperation for mutual benefit, helped each other and drawn on each other’s strengths for common development. China and Southeast Asian countries joined hands in tackling the 1997 Asian financial crisis and promoting the establishment of the ASEAN+3 cooperation mechanism. Today, we are working together to weather the rare international financial crisis and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area is built as scheduled. Trade between the two sides exceeded USD 350 billion last year, making China the largest trading partner of ASEAN and ASEAN the third largest trading partner of China. China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business & Investment Summit have been held annually in China since 2004. Over the past eight years, they have grown into an important platform of economic exchanges for China and ASEAN countries. Moreover, active cooperation is also promoted in major natural disasters and epidemics with efforts made to explore an effective early warning, prevention and relief mechanism. Today, the cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries covers 11 prioritized areas including agriculture, information industry, human resources development, transport, energy, culture, tourism, Mekong Basin development, public health, and environmental protection as well as more than 20 other areas such as law enforcement, youth exchanges, and non-traditional security. As strategic partners committed to peace and prosperity, China and ASEAN have forged a close bond of solidarity in the all-round cooperation and friendly exchanges over the years.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The friendship between the two peoples is the foundation for the healthy development of the relations between the two countries concerned. Therefore, we should work to promote people-to-people exchanges and improve amity between the peoples so as to lay a solid foundation for the development of friendly relations between China and Southeast Asian countries. That’s also an important reason why we are holding this China-Southeast Asia Peace and Development Forum. I sincerely hope that China and Southeast Asian countries will continue to establish friendly bilateral or multilateral relations so as to contribute to the building of a harmonious Asia and a harmonious world.

As we all know, famous Chinese navigator Zheng He commanded seven voyages to the Indian Ocean more than 600 years ago, which helped to promote the cultural exchanges and friendly ties between China and Southeast Asian countries. Zheng He and his men waged no war and invaded no territory in the countries they visited. Instead, they brought to the people there the traditional Chinese culture and values about harmony and about friendship that unites the world as one. Today’s China is committed to the path of peaceful development and building an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood. It is because of the independent foreign policy of peace that China has achieved its great economic growth. It is also due to the peaceful and stable regional environment that Southeast Asian countries have enjoyed remarkable development. As developing countries in the same region, China and Southeast Asian countries share the same goals and pursuits, face the same tasks and challenges, and play the same important role in promoting peace and development. Therefore, all countries should work closely with each other based on mutual trust and benefit to help establish a just and equitable new international political and economic order.

The cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries has a solid foundation and a promising future. The international financial crisis is still taking its toll, inflicting heavy indebtedness and economic sluggishness on some developed countries and growing inflation pressure on emerging markets and developing countries. Prominent global issues such as climate change, food security and natural disasters are coupled with constant regional turmoil. Facing such complicated and grave international political and economic situations, China and Southeast Asian countries should strategically reinforce mutual trust and communication, enhance pragmatic cooperation in an all-round and more effective manner, plan for future development together, and make the best of all available resources and positive conditions in the region to achieve sustained economic growth, improve people’s well-being and create common prosperity. I’m confident that greater solidarity and win-win cooperation will surely lead China and Southeast Asian countries to a better future of peaceful development and common prosperity.

Thank you!