Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Talks about Premier Wen Jiabao's Attendance of the 11th Prime Ministers' Meeting of the SCO, the 17th Regular China-Russia Prime Ministers' Meeting and Visits to Kyrgyzstan and Russia
2012-12-07 11:04

From December 4 to 6, 2012, Premier Wen Jiabao was invited to attend the 11th prime ministers' meeting of the SCO in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, hold the 17th regular China-Russia prime ministers' meeting in Moscow, Russia, and pay official visits to the two countries. On the way back home, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who accompanied Wen during the visit, introduced to the accompanying journalists Premier Wen's trip and its outcomes.

The SCO, since its establishment 11 years ago, have scored outstanding achievements in cooperation in various fields and played an important role in promoting regional peace and prosperity, Yang said. China has enjoyed sound development of bilateral ties with both Russia, a strategic cooperation partner, and Kyrgyzstan, a significant neighbor and the rotating president of SCO, Yang said. SCO members have developed stronger willingness to deepen regional cooperation and cooperation with China against the backdrop of profound changes in the global and regional situations and in the face of increasing risks of global economic downturn. China faces fresh opportunities to develop ties with these countries, Yang said. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's trip is a major bilateral and multilateral diplomatic move to the Euro-Asia region after the 18th National Congress of the CPC. It has deepened solidarity and mutual trust and boosted convergence of interests between China and Eurasian countries. Wen's trip also bore significance to the development of the SCO in the second decade and the long-term development of ties between China and countries in the region.

During his stay in Kyrgyzstan, Premier Wen held separate meetings and talks with Kyrgyz President Atambayev and Prime Minister Satybaldiyev, attended the large and small group meetings of prime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and met some of the participating state leaders. During his stay in Russia, Premier Wen met with President Putin, and co-chaired the 17th regular China-Russia prime ministers' meeting and jointly met the press with his counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. Wen reached consensus with various parties in enhancing pragmatic cooperation and boosting mutual development, Yang said, adding that Wen also signed a series of guiding documents, setting the direction for the development of the SCO as well as the development of bilateral relations with Russia and Kyrgyzstan. Wen's trip reflected China's dedication to promoting peace, development and cooperation, and achieving win-win outcomes, Yang said, adding the visit was a complete success, which consolidated friendship, enhanced mutual trust, expanded common understanding and deepened cooperation.

I. Boosting Pragmatic Cooperation within SCO

The development and achievements of the SCO fully proved that the organization has become a strategic vehicle of regional peace and stability and common development, Yang said, noting the next decade is crucial for the development of the SCO and its members. He said that Wen's attendance at the SCO prime ministers' meeting for the 10th consecutive year has promoted the implementation of the results of this year's SCO Beijing Summit, sped up and boosted cooperation in various areas, and supported the SCO's active role so as to bring more benefits for the region's peoples.

In his speech at the SCO meeting, Wen clarified a series of propositions of the Chinese side on strengthening cooperation within the SCO based on the developments and changes of the current situation. He proposed that member states carry forward the "Shanghai Spirit," seize opportunities, and make joint efforts to create broader prospects for cooperation. The Chinese premier called on SCO members to beef up solidarity, mutual trust and support for each other, communicate with each other closely on major issues concerning regional security and stability, and respect each other's path of development. Wen urged SCO countries to take a long-term and strategic perspective in planning common development and to boost the region's strengths and sustainability with firmer determination and more effective measures. All this is valuable experience for the SCO to continue to grow and develop, and is also a correct way for the countries in the region to deal with the complicated international situation and overcome the crises and challenges.

China is ready to boost coordination with SCO partners and make regional infrastructure interconnection a priority of pragmatic cooperation. China pledged to fulfill its commitments in June of providing 10-billion-U.S. dollar loans to other SCO members, and is mulling setting up an economic and technological cooperation fund for the region and establishing SCO development bank, Wen said. He suggested the development of an SCO telecom satellite service and the establishment of a China-SCO environment protection cooperation center. He called on SCO members to step up the fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, set up a disaster early warning and rescue center, and actively carry out food cooperation.

Wen iterated that China will continue to follow the path of peaceful development and opening policies aiming at mutual benefit. China will adhere to its foreign policy of "treating neighbors well and as partners" and make its own development bring more benefits to neighboring countries. China will always be a reliable friend and sincere partner of developing countries.

The SCO prime ministers' meeting issued several documents including a joint communique and a list of measures to further promote the SCO project cooperation in 2012-2016, setting the direction for the SCO's future development.

Participants spoke highly of the SCO's achievements in cooperation and its vast developing prospects, and praised the Chinese premier's positions and proposals, said Yang. They also lauded the important role China has played in boosting the organization's development and construction, enhancing solidarity and cooperation between regional countries, and promoting regional peace and prosperity, he said. They expressed willingness to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China to promote common development.

Wen, on the sidelines of the SCO meeting, met with Kazakh Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov, Mongolian Prime Minister Norovyn Altankhuyag and some other leaders to exchange views on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern, enhancing the favorable ties between China and countries and organizations in the region.

II. Enhancing China-Kyrgyzstan Friendly Cooperation

Kyrgyzstan is China's important partner in Central Asia and their bilateral relations have witnessed sound development since the two countries established diplomatic ties 20 years ago, Yang said. Wen's second visit to Kyrgyzstan in eight years is of great significance to deepening cooperation in various fields and boosting friendly relations of good neighborliness between the two countries, Yang said.

Wen and Kyrgyz leaders reviewed the significant development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties, and agreed to continue to strengthen bilateral high-level exchanges, work together to plan and expand bilateral economic and trade cooperation, step up coordination under the framework of the SCO, and safeguard common interests, Yang said. Wen put forth cooperation proposals, including encouraging Chinese enterprises to expand investment in Kyrgyzstan and jointly explore the market, working out a plan for border area cooperation as soon as possible, strengthening border and customs cooperation, raising the scale and level of economic and trade cooperation between China's Xinjiang and Kyrgyzstan, advancing the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, deepening cooperation on hydropower, agriculture, education and culture, intensifying law enforcement and security cooperation and cracking down on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, Yang said. The two sides also signed several cooperation documents, he added.

Kyrgyzstan appreciated China's long-term assistance and support to its socioeconomic development and expressed willingness to make concerted efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation to make new contributions to the stability and development of the region, Yang noted. Kyrgyz media delivered positive coverage of Wen’s visit, saying that China is a friendly neighbor and reliable partner to Kyrgyzstan and Wen's visit will vigorously lift the relations between the two countries.

III. Adding Impetus to China-Russia Strategic Partnership of Coordination

Yang said that China-Russia relations have entered a new stage where both countries regard each other as a new development opportunity and a cooperation partner of priority, which is required for both countries' development and revitalization as well as world peace and stability. Yang said the regular China-Russia prime ministers' meeting mechanism has played a very important role in advancing China-Russia relations. He stressed that Wen's visit is the first meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The two sides focused on planning bilateral pragmatic cooperation under the new circumstances to further advance bilateral strategic partnership of coordination.

Leaders of China and Russia reviewed the outcomes of the China-Russia cooperation in the past decade, lauded the positive role of the regular China-Russia prime ministers' meeting mechanism and agreed to attach importance to bilateral ties from a strategic and overall perspective and jointly explore broader prospects for bilateral friendly cooperation, Yang said. Reviewing the current world situation, Wen noted that China and Russia need to constantly deepen political and strategic mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation, speed up their own development, protect their common interests, and push for greater roles of the mechanisms like the United Nations, the Group of 20, the SCO and BRICS to promote the multipolarization and sustainable development of the world.

In order to further advance cooperation between China and Russia, Yang said that Wen has put forward a seven-point proposal -- striving to expand bilateral trade to 100 billion U.S. dollars earlier before the target year of 2015; advancing all-round cooperation in energy to enhance energy security of both countries and sustainable development; expanding cooperation in such key areas as investment, deep processing, high-tech and innovation and promoting cooperation on major strategic projects featuring joint research and development and joint production in the areas of aeronautics and astronautics; taking full advantage of regular meetings of local leaders of both countries to boost region-to-region cooperation between the two countries; giving free play to market mechanisms and lending support and convenience to enterprises on policy and management levels; further expanding cultural exchanges and, in particular, holding a successful China Tourism Year in Russia and implementing the 10-year program on future cultural cooperation; actively participating in global economic governance to facilitate reforms of international economic and financial system.

The prime ministers of the two countries also listened to the working reports of the three cooperation mechanisms including the Committee of China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting, China-Russia Energy Negotiation and the China- Russia Committee on Humanities Cooperation. During the visit, the two countries signed a joint communique of the 17th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian prime ministers as well as a number of bilateral cooperative documents, Yang said.

The Russian leaders said that the Russia-China relationship is an example of new-type relations between responsible powers, and that the Russian side fully agrees with China's proposals on promoting bilateral ties. They also said Russia is willing to work with China to further strengthen high-level contacts and strategic coordination, expand exchanges and cooperation in such fields as economics and trade, energy, aeronautics and astronautics, transport, high technology and humanities, to advance bilateral relations further. Russian media spoke highly of the outcome of Wen's visit to Russia and the important significance of the China-Russia relations, believing that the long-term, sound and stable development of the China-Russia relations has vigorously safeguarded the common interests of the two countries, which is also beneficial to the world, Yang said.

Yang described Wen's visit as a successful trip for consolidating good neighborliness and friendship and deepening cooperation with neighboring countries. The trip has boosted cooperation within the SCO in various fields as well as new developments of China-Kyrgyzstan and China-Russia ties. He said that China will follow the foreign policy set at the 18th CPC National Congress, advocate the spirit of equality and mutual trust, inclusiveness and mutual learning, and cooperation for win-win results. China will work with countries in the region to create a political environment of unity and cooperation, maintain a peaceful and stable security environment, build a development environment for mutually beneficial cooperation and create a harmonious and friendly cultural environment, to bring more benefits to the countries and peoples in the regions and make greater contribution to world peace, stability and development.

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