BEIJING, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has led new advances in the development of major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.
Xi had a packed diplomatic schedule in the first half of 2019. In April-May, he chaired or attended three events China hosted in a row in just more than half a month. In June, he made four overseas visits and attended four important international meetings in a month.
Amid immense changes in the international situation, the head-of-state diplomacy has led the way forward.
FORGING GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP NETWORK
Xi made his first overseas visit this year in March to three European countries: Italy, Monaco and France, injecting strong impetus into the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.
Major-country relations continued to grow. In June, Xi paid a state visit to Russia where he and Russian President Vladimir Putin elevated the China-Russia ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. It was Xi’s eighth visit to Russia and his 31st meeting with Putin since he took office as the Chinese president in 2013.
Friendly exchanges with neighboring countries were deepened. In June, he paid a state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), opening a new chapter for China-DPRK friendship. Also in June, Xi visited Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Japanese city of Osaka. All in all, Xi met or held talks with more than 30 leaders of neighboring countries in the first half of the year.
Common progress with the vast majority of developing countries was advanced. Xi congratulated the inauguration of the China-Africa Institute, the opening of the Coordinators’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on the China-Africa Cooperation, and the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.
Xi also chaired a China-Africa leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, at which leaders reached a broad consensus on a range of issues.
LEADING GLOBAL OPENNESS, COOPERATION
Xi has said a few anti-globalization movements that have emerged in the world cannot stop the tide of globalization.
Thinking in big-picture terms, a Chinese poem says, helps one dispel the clouds to see the sun.
At the G20 summit in Osaka, Xi announced China’s further opening-up measures which have since strengthened the confidence of the global economy.
On the sidelines of the G20 summit, Xi met with U.S. President Donald Trump. They agreed to advance a China-U.S. relationship featuring coordination, cooperation and stability.
China is playing a more positive role in the multilateral trading system, taking globalization toward the direction of more inclusiveness and benefit for all, said World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevedo.
Meanwhile, the China-proposed principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits is gaining worldwide recognition.
In April, the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was attended by about 6,000 participants from 150 countries and 92 international organizations.
A study published by the World Bank found that fully implementing deeper policy reforms of the Belt and Road Initiative would lift 32 million people out of moderate poverty, increase global trade by up to 6.2 percent and increase global income by as much as 2.9 percent.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR BETTER FUTURE
The Chinese president has called on countries around the world to make concerted efforts and jointly shape the future of humanity.
In various occasions ranging from the global governance forum co-hosted by China and France to the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, Xi put forward China’s approaches on global governance and encouraged all parties to build consensus on upholding multilateralism.
China has been committed to firmly upholding the international system with the United Nations at its core and international law as its foundation, and standing on the side of justice as China plays an active role in endeavors such as advancing the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and supporting maintaining the Iran nuclear deal.
China has become a strong pillar of international cooperation and multilateralism, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
At the three events China hosted in the first half of the year, Xi expounded on the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity from different perspectives: help developing countries break growth bottlenecks, tackle environmental challenges and look to culture and civilization to play their role.
All won broad recognition.
Under Xi’s leadership, the major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics is sailing towards a brighter future.
Source: Xinhua
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 
China set to join Arms Trade Treaty that Donald Trump threatened to abandon
China said it has begun preparations to join an international arms control treaty that the United States has threatened to abandon, while also warning Washington against deploying missiles in the Asia-Pacific region.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that signing up to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was further evidence of Beijing’s commitment to defending multilateralism.
said in April that he intended to withdraw from the pact, which regulates the US$70 billion global trade in conventional arms.
The White House said at the time that the ATT “will only constrain responsible countries while allowing the irresponsible arms trade to continue”, as major arms exporters like Russia and China were not part of it.
Wang said on Friday that any unilateral move to leave the treaty would have a “negative impact in various areas”. He stopped short of naming the United States or its president.
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it had begun the legal process of joining the treaty, adding that it attached great importance to the issues caused by the illegal sale and misuse of arms, and supported the aims of the ATT in seeking to regulate the international weapons trade.
Wang also spoke out against the possible deployment of ground-launched missiles in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to figures released in May by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the United States is the world’s largest arms exporter, supplying weapons worth 58 per cent more than those of its nearest competitor, Russia.
Together with France, Germany and China, the five nations accounted for 75 per cent of all weapons sold around the world between 2014 and last year, the institute said.
Although China is among the world’s big five arms suppliers, its sales – most of which go to Asia and Oceania – are dwarfed by those of the US, accounting for just 5.2 per cent of the 2014-18 total, compared to America’s 36 per cent.
Several major arms importers, including India, Australia, South Korea and Vietnam, refuse to buy arms from China for political reasons.
Beijing’s decision to join the ATT is in keeping with the image it has sought to present of China as a defender of multilateralism. The stance is also in sharp contrast to the US’ position under Trump, who has repeatedly scrapped multilateral trade agreements in favour of bilateral deals.
Since taking office in 2016, he has withdrawn the US from the Paris climate accord, the Iran nuclear deal and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Military observers said Beijing might seek to pressure on Washington to stay in the deal to try to maintain the strategic and military balance in the region.
Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based military affairs commentator, said Beijing might be trying to avoid misuse of conventional weapons.
“Beijing may want to press big exporters, such as the US and Russia, to join the deal because without proper regulations, the risk of illegal trade and misuse of conventional weapons could be running high,” he said.
“This could also threaten regional stability or even trigger unnecessary arms races.”
Adam Ni, a China specialist at Sydney’s Macquarie University, said the treaty would put some limits on the arms trade “but it would not mean that China would not be able to do deals. It will still be able to do [most deals]”.
Retired PLA colonel Yue Gang said the strategy could also improve China’s international reputation.
Source: SCMP
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