STATE ORGANS | THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA | MULTI-PARTY COOPERATION AND THE POLITICAL CONSULTATIVE SYSTEM | JURISDICTION | HONG KONG | MACAO | TAIWAN | RELIGION | RELATIONS WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Relations With Foreign Countries

China-Europe relations have developed smoothly. The year 2000 marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of formal relations between China and the European Union (EU). China and EU have witnessed frequent high-level contacts and the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperative ties in various fields.

In October, French President Jacques Chirac paid a formal visit to China. During their talks, President Jiang Zemin and President Chirac reached common views on a series of major issues and decided to strengthen consultation and cooperation between the two countries in major international affairs.

Premier Zhu Rongji, together with the president of France, then holding the EU's rotating presidency, and the EU Committee chairman, held the Third China-EU Leaders Meeting in Beijing. They reached extensive agreements on further expansion of cooperation in various fields.

In 2000, Premier Zhu Rongji successfully visited Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and EU headquarters, which contributed much to promoting the development of the China-EU long-term, steady and constructive partnership.

Maintaining Friendly Relationship with Neighboring Countries

China is a country having the most neighbors in the world. China is ready to establish and develop a long-term, steady, good-neighborly and friendly relationship with all neighboring countries, which features mutual understanding, mutual respect, mutually beneficial cooperation, and treating each other equally as good neighbors, good friends and good partners. China has become an important factor for maintaining regional peace and stability and achieved substantial progress in its relations with its neighbors.

In 2000, China's diplomatic activChina, adjoining the Korean Peninsula, will continue to do its part in promoting peities in relation to neighboring countries were more vigorous and practical. Adjusting to the major changes on the Korean Peninsula in time, China has played a unique role. It firmly supports the two sides in the north and south of the peninsula to improve their relations, conduct exchanges, and realize peaceful reunification independently. ace and stability on the peninsula. In May 2000, the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission Kim Jong Il paid a successful visit to China, contributing to further strengthening and development of Sino-DPRK relations. In October, Premier Zhu Rongji paid a formal visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK). The two sides agreed to push the Sino-ROK cooperative partnership to a new stage of all-round cooperation.

New progress has been made in China's relations with various Southeast Asian countries, with mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields developing constantly. President Jiang Zemin visited Laos, Cambodia and Brunei with success. Many leaders of Southeast Asian countries have visited China. Up to 2000, since it established a good-neighborly partnership of trust with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China had signed or issued documents on the framework of bilateral cooperation respectively with 10 ASEAN countries. Premier Zhu Rongji participated in the Fourth ASEAN and China, Japan and ROK (10+3) and the Chinese-ASEAN leaders (10+1) meetings in Singapore. During the meetings, Zhu expounded China's views on East Asian cooperation and development and posed a series of concrete proposals for strengthening regional cooperation, which, displaying China's sincerity, were widely applauded by participants from various countries.

China's relations with South Asian countries have also developed steadily. Indian President K.R. Narayanan and Pakistan Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf respectively visited China in 2000. Sino-Indian relations have been restored and improved significantly, while Sino-Pakistan traditional friendship has been further strengthened.

China has engaged in regional cooperation with its Central Asian neighbors through the “Shanghai Five” mechanism, with the development momentum maintained. In 2000, President Jiang Zemin visited Tajikistan and attended the fifth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Heads of state of the five countries jointly signed the Dushanbe Statement, declaring that the five countries will join hands in fighting against national separatism, international terrorism and religious extremism. They also reached a common view on building up good-neighborly friendliness and peaceful cooperation geared toward the 21st century. The “Shanghai Five” cooperative mechanism is playing an increasingly important role in maintaining regional security and promoting regional stability and development.

Strengthening Cooperation with Developing Countries

As a developing country, China has established profound traditional friendship and solid foundation of cooperation with the great majority of developing countries. In the face of new situation at the turn of the century, China is vigorously exploring new channels and fields for strengthening cooperation with developing countries so as to make this relationship more dynamic in the 21st century.

In 2000, Chinese leaders Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan and Hu Jintao respectively visited many developing countries, making substantial achievements in promoting China’s relations with them.

What deserves mentioning is that, under the sponsorship and promotion of China, the “China-Africa Cooperation Forum—Ministerial Conference Beijing 2000” was successfully held in Beijing. Present were heads of state of Togo, Algeria, Zambia and Tanzania, the secretary-general of the Organization of African Unity, ministerial-level representatives from 45 African countries, and leaders of international and regional organizations. At the conference, Chinese President Jiang Zemin put forward a four-point proposal on enhancing China-Africa cooperation to jointly promoting the establishment of a new international political and economic order, which was unanimously accepted by participants. The conference adopted the Beijing Declaration of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum and the Sino-African Cooperation Guideline for Economic and Social Development, setting forth an orientation for a new partnership of long-term stability, equality and mutual benefit between China and Africa in the new century. The conference served as a new starting point for an all-round advancement of China-Africa relations in the new century, while at the same time laying a solid foundation for enhancing South-South cooperation and promoting the establishment of a just and rational new international order.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4