—Chinese President Xi Jinping Makes Important Remarks at a Conference on the Diplomatic Work with Neighboring Countries

From October 24 to 25, 2013, a conference on the diplomatic work with neighboring countries was held in Beijing. This is an important conference held by the CPC Central Committee with the goal of guiding China's diplomatic work with neighboring countries in the new situation. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, made important remarks at the conference. He stressed that doing well in the diplomatic work with neighboring countries is out of the need to realize the two "centenary goals" and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. China needs to work hard to advance the diplomacy with neighboring countries, strive to win a sound surrounding environment for China's development, and enable neighboring countries to benefit more from China' development for the purpose of common development.

Xi Jinping pointed out that since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the first generation of the central collective leadership with Comrade Mao Zedong as the core, the second generation of the central collective leadership with Comrade Deng Xiaoping as the core, the third generation of the central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin as the core, and the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as the General Secretary, all attached great importance to the diplomacy with neighboring countries, raised a series of important strategic thoughts and guiding policies, created and developed a generally favorable environment for China's development and laid a solid foundation for the future diplomatic work with neighboring countries. Since the first session, the 18th CPC Central Committee, on the basis of ensuring continuity and stability in China's major foreign policies, has actively planned and managed China's diplomacy, and has carried out a series of major diplomatic activities with particular attention given to the important roles of neighboring countries in China' s overall development and diplomacy.

Xi Jinping placed emphasis on the strategic significance of neighboring countries to China no matter in terms of geography, environment and relations. When thinking about and dealing with the diplomacy with neighboring countries, China should have a three-dimensional, multi-element perspective going beyond time and space. While reviewing China's situation, Xi Jinping said that great changes have taken place in China's surrounding environment and China's relations with neighboring countries. The economic and trade links between China and neighboring countries are getting increasingly closer, with unprecedented interactive exchanges. Such situation requires China to keep pace with the times and be more active in devising diplomatic strategies and undertaking diplomatic work.

Xi Jinping stressed that China's neighborhood is full of vigor and vitality and boasts obvious advantages and potentials in development. The neighboring region is generally stable and most of the neighboring countries have a friendly and mutuallybeneficial relationship with China. China must understand the trend of the time and have strategic thinking and overall planning to do a better job in the diplomatic work with neighboring countries.

Xi Jinping pointed out that the strategic goal of China's diplomacy with neighboring countries is to serve the realization of the two "centenary goals" and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. China needs to develop the relations with neighboring countries in an all-round manner, consolidate the friendly relations with neighboring countries, and deepen the mutuallybeneficial cooperation with neighboring countries. China needs to protect and make the best use of the strategic opportunities to safeguard China's national sovereignty, security and development interests. China needs to develop closer ties with neighboring countries, with more friendly political relations, stronger economic bonds, deeper security cooperation and closer people-to-people contacts.

Xi Jinping emphasized that the basic principle of diplomacy with neighbors is to treat them as friends and partners, to make them feel safe and to help them develop. The concepts of friendship, sincerity, benefit and inclusiveness should be highlighted. Developing good-neighborly relations with surrounding countries is the consistent principle of China's diplomacy with its neighbors. China and neighboring countries should maintain the good-neighborly friendship and help each other. China and neighboring countries should treat each other as equals and value the friendship. China and neighboring countries should meet and visit each other more frequently. China and neighboring countries should do more things that win and warm people's heart. China needs to make neighboring countries more friendly, stay closer to China, more recognizing and more supportive and increase China's affinity, magnetism and influence. China needs to treat neighboring countries with sincerity so as to win more friends and partners. China needs to carry out cooperation with neighbors based on mutual benefit, create a closer network of common interests and bring the converging interests to higher levels. Only through better integration, can neighboring countries benefit from China's development and China benefit from theirs. Underlining the importance of inclusiveness, Xi Jinping stressed that the Asia and Pacific region is big enough for all countries to develop and that countries in the region must promote regional cooperation in an opener mind and with greater enthusiasm. China itself must embrace and practice these ideas so that they will become the shared belief and norms of conduct for the whole region.

Xi Jinping stressed that to do well in the diplomatic work with neighboring countries in the new situation, the Party must analyze and deal with issues from a strategic perspective, improve the abilities in overall planning and operational execution, and advance the diplomatic work with neighboring countries in a full-fledged manner. Great efforts need to be made to safeguard peace and stability in the region. The path of peaceful development is the Party's strategic choice in line with the times and the fundamental interests of the country. Safeguarding peace and stability in the neighboring region is a major goal of the diplomacy with neighboring countries.

We should strive to deepen the pattern featuring mutual benefits and win-win results. We should make overall plans of economic, trade, scientific and technological, financial and other resources, make good use of comparative advantages to pinpoint strategic integrating point, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with the neighboring countries, and actively participate in regional economic cooperation. We should make joint efforts with relevant countries to accelerate infrastructure connectivity, to build Silk Road economic belt and Maritime Silk Road of the 21st century. We should speed up the implementation of the free trade zone strategy, on the basis of neighboring countries, to expand cooperation space in trade and investment, and to build a new pattern of regional economic integration. We should continuously deepen regional financial cooperation, actively prepare for the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and improve the regional financial safety net. We should speed up the openingup of border areas, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between border provinces and areas with neighboring countries.

We should strive to promote regional security cooperation. Our country is adjacent to neighboring countries, and security cooperation is a common need. We should adhere to the new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation, advocate the concept of comprehensive security, common security, and cooperative security, promote security cooperation with neighboring countries, actively participate in regional and sub-regional security cooperation, deepen relevant cooperation mechanisms, and enhance strategic mutual trust.

We should strive to strengthen publicity work, public diplomacy, cultural and people-to-people exchanges with the neighboring countries, and consolidate and expand social and public opinion foundations of the long-term development of relations between China and its neighboring countries. The development of relations depends on people-to-people friendship. We should comprehensively promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges, deepen friendly exchanges on tourism, science and education, regional cooperation and others, and make a lot of good friends. We should well introduce China's domestic and foreign policies to the outside world, clearly tell China's story, spread China's voice, and integrate the Chinese dream with the desire of the people of the neighboring countries for a good life, and with the prospects for regional development, letting the awareness of community of common destiny take root in the neighboring countries.

Xi Jinping pointed out that policies and strategies are the lifeline of the Party, and the lifeline of the diplomatic work. To get diplomatic work well done, we should bear in mind the overall domestic and international situations. The overall domestic situation is the Two Centenary Goals to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; the overall international situation is to fight for good external conditions for China's reform, development and stability, to safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests, to safeguard the world peace and stability, and to promote common development. We should find common ground and convergence points of interests, adhere to the correct idea of morality and profits, have principles to act upon, cherish friendship and righteousness, and offer more assistance to developing countries within our capacity. We should promote reform and innovation of diplomatic work, and strengthen the planning and design of diplomatic activities to strive for the best effects. We should make overall plans and take all factors into consideration when doing diplomatic work, well organize and coordinate every aspect, and pay attention to making use of respective advantages to achieve greater results in diplomatic work.

Xi Jinping stressed that neighboring diplomacy task is arduous and formidable, and comrades engaging in the diplomatic work should strengthen their sense of responsibility, sense of mission, and sense of urgency, keep in mind the tenet, improve abilities and work style, be dedicated, dare to take responsibilities and make innovations, and take more positive actions to do a good job of diplomatic work on neighboring countries.