Visiting Chinese top national advisor Jia Qinglin on Tuesday delivered a speech at the Colombian Congress on the Taiwan question, China-Latin American relations and other issues.  

Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said that China's Anti-Secession Law adopted by the National People's Congress (NPC) is a law that promotes cross-Straits relations and the prospect of a peaceful reunification, a law that opposes and checks Taiwan's secession from China, a law that maintains peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.

In the speech, titled "Enhancing Mutually Beneficial Cooperation and Promoting Common Development," Jia said that this law has fully demonstrated China's consistent position of utmost efforts and maximum sincerity for a peaceful reunification and the common will of the entire Chinese people to maintain China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Jia said.

The intensifying "Taiwan independence" secessionist activities in recent years have not only become the biggest obstacle to developing cross-Straits relations, but also severely threatened peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and the Asia-Pacific region on the whole, he said.

Under such circumstance, the NPC passed the law in order to stop "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces from separating the country, promote peaceful reunification of the motherland, maintain national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and safeguard the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, Jia noted.

As to Sino-Latin American relations, Jia said the bilateral relationship is at the best period in history and is facing a historical opportunity to be lifted to a higher stage.

Seizing the opportunity and strengthening cooperation conforms to the fundamental interests of China and Latin America and is conducive to their becoming winner of globalization and pushing globalization to the direction of common prosperity of different countries, with narrowing the north-south gap in particular, Jia noted.

The rapid progress in Sino-Latin American economic and trade relations fully demonstrated the complementarity of their economies, which means one's development is another's important development opportunity, he said.

Authoritative reports from international economic and financial organizations pointed out time and again that China's economic development is an important factor in the economic recovery of Latin America, Jia said.

Jia pointed out that the two sides are complementary rather than competitive in product structure, market and attraction of foreign investment.

With the joint efforts, the prospect of economic and technological cooperation between China and Latin America will become even brighter, Jia said.

Both China and Latin American countries are developing countries, Jia said. With the international competition becoming increasingly fierce, the two sides should cooperate closely, tap the potential of complementarity, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, strive for a win-win outcome and jointly improve their situation in international competition.

China is willing, on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and common development, to constantly expand the economic and trade relations with Latin-American countries including Colombia, Jia said.

Strengthening Sino-Latin American cooperation is not only conducive to their respective development and improvement of international position, but also to the world peace, stability and development, he said.

Citing an old Chinese saying, Jia said though China and Latin America are far apart in distance, their sincere friendship cannot be separated by mountains and oceans.

Jia expressed his hope that China and Latin America would join hands, seize the opportunity, expand cooperation and strengthen exchanges so as to become reliable all-weather friends on the political front, mutually beneficial cooperative partners in the economic sphere and a model of active dialogues between different civilizations in the perspective of culture, thus making common contribution to the noble cause of world peace and development.

Jia also gave an introduction to China's domestic situation and its reform and opening up policy to the Colombian parliamentarians.

Jia said that since it introduced reform and opening-up programs, China has made remarkable progress in economic and social development, but China's development is a peaceful one.

Deeply seated in China's history is a cultural tradition that honors promises and promotes harmony among all nations, Jia said. The humiliation and bullying they were subjected to in the past have made the Chinese people cherish all the more dearly their sovereignty, peace and stability.

"Chinese people will stay on the path of peaceful development, devoting all our resources to development," he said, adding that China's development needs a long-term peaceful international situation and it is China's sincere hope that its own development can better help safeguard and promote world peace.

"There is neither reason nor possibility for us to threaten anyone," he said. "Even if China gets more developed in the future, it will never seek hegemony. This is our solemn pledge that will never change."

Jia, who is visiting Colombia at the invitation of Colombian Congress President Luis Gomez, is expected to leave for Uruguay on Wednesday to continue his four-nation official goodwill visit to Latin America.

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2005)