08:05, September 27, 2009

Chinese FM describes Hu's trip to U.S. as significant, far-reaching move The Chinese foreign minister on Saturday described President Hu Jintao's trip to the United States to attend four important summits as a significant and far-reaching diplomatic move. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi made the remarks while briefing journalists who traveled to New York and Pittsburgh with Hu. Yang said that the four summits in the U.S. that Hu participated in focused on such attention-grabbing issues as the international financial crisis, climate change, non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. Those issues have a significant bearing on international relations and on the global situation in the future, Yang said. He said those issues also have a direct bearing on China's long-term development and fundamental interests. Participating in four summits in as many days was an unprecedented diplomatic move by a Chinese president since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Yang said. He said Hu systematically advanced China's viewpoints and stances on important global and regional issues during the four summits. Yang highlighted the 64th United Nations General Assembly, which drew more than 140 heads of state and government, and the world body's general debate during which Hu delivered his key-note speech "Join hands to create the future." The foreign minister quoted Hu as saying that the world is undergoing a hectic period of big development and reform and that it is seeing a stronger trend toward peace, development and cooperation. Hu pointed out during his U.N. speech that the world's peace and development is faced with serious challenges resulting from instability and uncertainty in the global situation. The Chinese president urged the international community to cherish the concepts of peace, development, cooperation, win-win and tolerance in their effort to promote a lasting peace, co-prosperity and a harmonious world. Yang said Hu proposed that the international community view the security issue through a broader view-finder, conduct cooperation with more open hearts, and materialize harmonious co-existence via a more tolerant mentality. Hu stressed in his speech that China's destiny is increasingly linked with that of the entire world. He said that China will stick to its path of peaceful development, one that leads to mutual benefits and a win-win scenario. He said China also will stick to the five principles of peaceful co-existence while pursuing friendly cooperation with all of the other countries in the world. China was, is and will remain a strength to be reckoned with in the maintenance of world peace and in the promotion of co-development of the world. As a responsible big country in the midst of development, China has performed its obligation to the U.N. Millennium Declaration by extending assistance to more than 120 countries. It also has written off debts owed it by 49 heavily indebted countries and least developed countries, and is offering zero-tariff treatment to exports from 40 least developed countries. China also will beef up its support for the developing countries that have been affected most by the international financial crisis. Hu said that China will continue its support to the developing nations by speeding up their growth to meet their millennium goals; China will continue to give the assistance promised to African countries during the Sino-Africa Summit; and China will continue to participate and promote the regional monetary and financial cooperation. Yang, who accompanied Hu to New York and Pittsburgh, said that the world sees the Chinese president's speech at the U.N. as commanding a strategic viewpoint and carrying a far-reaching connotation. Hu's speech demonstrated that China is playing an irreplaceable role in international and regional affairs as a builder of international systems, Yang said. He said that the international community welcomes China to play an even larger role on the international stage. At the U.N. non-proliferation and disarmament summit, Hu advanced his statement on the new security concept that China advocates. It was the first time in the past decade that a Chinese leader elaborated on China's policy toward nuclear issues in person at a multilateral occasion. Yang quoted Hu as saying that China has always advocated a total ban and total destruction of nuclear weapons. Hu said China will stick to its self-defense nuclear strategy and to its promise not to be the first to ever resort to nuclear weapons under any circumstance. China has also obliged itself to not threaten nuclear-free countries and regions with the use of nuclear weapons. Hu told the non-proliferation and disarmament summit that China will continue to promote the process of international nuclear disarmament and to contribute efforts toward the system safeguarding the implementation of the non-proliferation treaty. This approach, Hu said, has fully demonstrated China's fairness, responsibility and contribution toward the construction of a nuclear-free world, which reflected the legitimate claim by the developing countries, safeguarded the interests of the developing countries and helped to move the non-proliferation and disarmament talks to a more positive direction of development. Yang described the G-20 summit as an effective platform on which the international community can cooperate in its joint dealings with the ongoing international financial and economic crises to better governance of the global economy. 08:06, September 27, 2009 Chinese FM describes Hu's trip to U.S. as significant, far-reaching move (2) Hu has participated in all three of the G-20 summits centered on the financial crisis. In Pittsburgh, Hu made it clear that though the world has seen positive economic signs, there is a long way to go before full recovery is achieved because there are many uncertainties remaining. The Chinese president listed three tasks the international community must deal with without hesitation in face of their efforts to end the recession. The tasks, Yang re-capped, are to keep stimulating economic growth, to promote reform of the international financial system, and to strike a balanced development of the world economy. Hu said in Pittsburgh that all of the concerned countries should keep their stimulus plans in place and make more efforts in promoting consumption and domestic demand. He warned that those countries should also keep an eye on any potential side-effects of their efforts, especially concerning inflation. The developing countries, Hu said, should be given more representation and say in the world's international financial institutions. He said that all of the countries concerned also should make efforts to forge an international mechanism for balanced development of the world economy. Cooperation in technology should be given high priority so as to help bridge the gap between the developed and developing countries, Hu suggested. Hu cited China as an obvious example of the packaged stimulus plan in face of the ongoing financial and economic crises. He said that his country would continue to carry out its promised and planned assistance to developing countries, especially those in Africa, and would try within its capacity to increase such assistance. Hu's viewpoints and proposed measures on international cooperation on financial system won praise from many heads of state and government in Pittsburgh, Yang said. The foreign minister said that the president based his proposals on safeguarding the fundamental interests of the people in China and around the world and therefore his viewpoints and measures got nods of approval from many of the leaders at the G-20summit. As the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen approaches, Yang said the issue of climate change is attracting greater public attention. Because China is the largest developing country and an emerging economy, its stand on the issue is closely watched by the international community, Yang said. "Global climate change has a profound impact on the existence and development of mankind and is a major challenge facing all countries," Hu stressed. During his speech at the U.N. climate change summit, Hu put forward a four-point proposal on joint efforts to deal with climate change by the international community. Fulfilling respective responsibilities should be at the core of the effort, Hu said. Concerned parties should positively implement the "Bali Roadmap" talks according to the requests of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto protocol, Hu said. Achieving mutual benefits and a win-win outcome should be the goal of the effort, Hu said. Supporting developing countries in countering climate change is a responsibility of developed countries and also benefits their long-term interests, Hu said. "We should realize a win-win outcome for both developed and developing countries, and interests of each state and the whole mankind," he said. Promoting common development should be the basis of the effort, the president said. "Without common development, particularly the development of developing countries, there cannot be a broad and solid basis in the long run for tackling climate change," he said. Ensuring financing and technology holds the key to the success of the effort, Hu noted. He urged the developed countries to take up their responsibilities and provide developing nations with new financial support to facilitate their dealings with climate change. Although China faces a lot of difficulties in the course of development, it attaches great importance to climate change and has taken a series of measures to address the issue, Hu said. The Chinese leader pledged that his country will further integrate actions on climate change into its economic and social development plan. China will intensify efforts to conserve energy and improve energy efficiency, vigorously develop renewable and nuclear energy and step up efforts to develop a green economy, he said. As a responsible country, Hu said, China will make the Copenhagen conference achieve positive results. Hu emphasized the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and said that China firmly safeguards the interests of developing countries. Hu announced significant measures China will adopt on emission reduction, which have been lauded by the international community, Yang said. Many foreign leaders said Hu's speech hit the high points of current climate change talks, reflected the common aspirations of the developing countries, and showed the image of a responsible and large country, the foreign minister said. After meeting with dozens of foreign leaders on the sidelines of the U.N. meetings and the G-20 financial summit, Hu reached consensus with them on bilateral relations and joint efforts to deal with the financial crisis, Yang said. During talks with U.S. President Barack Obama, Hu pointed out that China and the United States should maintain frequent high-level exchanges and implement their pledges made at the first China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington in July. They also should deepen cooperation on major international and regional issues, expand exchanges on humanity, properly address each other's interests and concerns, and firmly oppose protectionism, Hu said. When meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Hu said China attaches great importance to enhancing its strategic partnership of cooperation with Russia. He said China is working to implement the consensus reached between the two sides. Both leaders agreed to further expand exchanges in various fields and deepen the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation. Yang said Hu's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was the first between the two leaders since Hatoyama was elected prime minister on Sept. 16. During their talks, Hu said the two sides should enhance high-level exchanges so as to improve political trust, promote trade and economic cooperation, and improve the feelings of their people toward each other in order to consolidate the basis of good public opinion. Hu said that Japan's war-time history and Taiwan are two major issues concerning the political basis of Sino-Japanese relations. China hopes Japan can live up to its commitment and properly handle the two issues. When meeting with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, Hu said China is ready to work with France to review the historical experience of bilateral relations, and promote a healthy and steady development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations. Hu also met with South African President Jacob Zuma, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan and President Evo Morales of Bolivia on bilateral ties and major issues of common concern. Yang said China has maintained friendly cooperation with nations in the world, and has forged partnership with many. Frequent high-level exchanges are an important way to boost bilateral ties with other countries. Yang summed up Hu's attendance at the four summits as a complete success. China will earnestly implement the consensus reached by Hu at the U.N. summits and expand cooperation with other nations to jointly meet the global challenges so as to contribute to the world's peace, stability and development, he said. Source: Xinhua 【1】 【2】 Copyright by People's Daily Online, All Rights Reserved