27/04/2019
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is here attending the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)
BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is here attending the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Li said China is willing to enhance high-level contacts with Vietnam, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and better align the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Vietnam’s “Two Corridors and One Economic Circle” plan.
China is willing to expand bilateral trade and achieve balanced and sustainable development in trade with Vietnam, and welcomes the entry of quality Vietnamese products into the Chinese market, Li said.
China supports Vietnam in assuming its role as the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2020, and is willing to work with Vietnam and other parties to steadily advance the consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, the premier said.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam actively supports the BRI and is willing to build greater synergy of the two countries’ development strategies.
Vietnam is willing to work with China in implementing the high-level consensus and safeguarding the long-term stability in the South China Sea, he said.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle", Association of Southeast Asian Nations, balanced and sustainable development, Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), bilateral trade, China alert, Chinese market, Chinese premier Li Keqiang, Code of Conduct (COC), Nguyen Xuan Phuc, South China Sea, Uncategorized, Vietnam, Vietnamese Prime Minister |
Leave a Comment »
27/04/2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is attending the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)
BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is attending the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.
China firmly upholds multilateralism, the international system with the UN at its core, and the international order based on international law, and promotes the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said.
The more complex and grim the situation is, the more important it is to manifest the authority and role of the UN, Xi said, adding that China will continue to support the UN.
Noting that the Chinese people not only pursue a good life for themselves, but also work for common interest and harmony of the world, Xi said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) embodies the idea of mutual benefit, and is in line with the UN’s sustainable development concept.
Describing the UN as an important partner in promoting the BRI, Xi said that China is ready to work with the UN to advance the initiative in an all-round way while following the principle of delivering shared benefits through extensive consultation and joint contribution.
Guterres said President Xi’s speech delivered at the forum on Friday morning is very important, as it elaborates the interrelationship between the BRI and global development agenda.
He spoke highly of China’s major measures for further reform and opening up.
China firmly upholds multilateralism, and safeguards equity and justice, as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the UN chief said, adding that China has played an important role in stabilizing, and brought certainty, confidence and hope to the world.
Calling on countries around the world to seize the opportunities brought about by the BRI cooperation and achieve win-win outcomes, Guterres said history will prove that China’s development is not only an irresistible historical trend, but also a major contribution to human progress.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in Antonio Guterres, Beijing, Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), China alert, Chinese President Xi Jinping, multilateralism, UN, UN Charter, Uncategorized, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General |
Leave a Comment »
27/04/2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a banquet hosted by him and his wife Peng Liyuan in honor of guests attending the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)
BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet Friday evening in honor of guests attending the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.
“On behalf of the Chinese government and Chinese people, my wife and also in my own name, let me extend warm welcome to all guests,” Xi said while proposing a toast at the banquet.
“Today’s gathering makes us recall the beautiful memories in our hearts,” Xi said, adding that “no matter how the international environment changes, the sincere friendship will last forever and the mutually beneficial cooperation will be the eternal melody in our hearts.”
The occasion inspires the participants via exchanges of ideas and insights, he said, calling for fostering global partnerships and creating a bright future of common development.
“Today’s gathering reminds us of the heavy responsibilities on our shoulders,” Xi told the guests that as the world is now undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, “may we all live up to our missions and the times.”
“We should all have faith that people of all countries deserve a better future, and the joint building of the Belt and Road will surely bring about a better world,” he said.
Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan also attended the banquet.
After the banquet, Xi and his wife accompanied the guests in watching a gala.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in belt and road forum, China alert, Chinese President Xi Jinping, common development, global partnerships, Han Zheng, hosts banque, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Peng Liyuan, Uncategorized, Wang Huning, Wang Qishan, wang yang, Zhao Leji |
Leave a Comment »
27/04/2019
- Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian the two sides should ensure ties ‘continue to develop in a healthy way’
- Meeting comes after Paris angers Beijing by sending a warship through the sensitive Taiwan Strait
Paris upset Beijing earlier this month by sending its frigate Vendémiaire through the Taiwan Strait. Photo: Reuters
France and China should value their strong relationship and not take actions that disrupt it, China’s foreign minister told his French counterpart on Thursday, just days after
at Paris for sending a warship through the Taiwan Strait earlier this month.
Speaking at a meeting on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Wang Yi told Jean-Yves Le Drian that the two nations “should cherish their hard-won and good relations”.
“[We should] avoid unnecessary disruptions and ensure that bilateral relations continue to develop in a healthy and progressive way,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued on Friday by the Chinese foreign ministry.
Le Drian responded by saying France was willing to cooperate with China to “maintain the growth momentum of bilateral relations”, according to the statement.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Paris was willing to cooperate with Beijing. Photo: Xinhua
The
passed through the Taiwan Strait on April 6. It had been expected to take part in a naval parade on Tuesday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of China’s navy, but Beijing withdrew the invitation in response to the action.
The defence ministry in Paris said this week it had been “in close contact with the Chinese authorities” about the incident.
EU’s connectivity plan ‘more sustainable’ than belt and road
A spokesman for the European Union said the trading bloc was committed to a rules-based maritime order based on international law, including freedom of navigation, and that it was in regular contact with the member states.
Chinese academics said that after the transit by the French warship it was likely that more Western countries would make their presence known in the region and that Beijing should remain vigilant.
“France wants to show that as a great power it has a broader concern in Asia-Pacific beyond trade and other ‘soft’ fields,” said Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing.
“And it will exert its right to free navigation in any international waters regardless of China’s position or sensitivities.”
The Taiwan Strait is about 160km (100 miles) wide and divides mainland China from Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a breakaway province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. The US, meanwhile, is bound by law to help the self-ruled defend itself and frequently sends warships through the strait in a show of support.
Shi said that US President Donald Trump’s Indo-Pacific strategy, which regards China as a “strategic competitor”, might draw “opportunistic associates” – like France and Britain – into the region.
“Some other states could be encouraged by the French action to do the same,” he said. “But [they] may also be deterred by China’s probable military and diplomatic responses, which would be determined on a case-by-case basis.”
Putin gets behind Xi’s belt and road plan in face of US hostility
Zhu Feng, a professor of international relations at Nanjing University, said France’s conduct was intended to show the “shared concern of Western allies” regarding the security aspect of cross-strait relations.
“China must be vigilant to the new tendency [for nations] to internationalise the Taiwan Strait issue,” he said, though added that the transit of the French warship was “more of a symbolic gesture than actual action”.
Philippe Le Corre, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington and former special assistant for international affairs to the French defence minister, said the Taiwan Strait did not belong to any one nation and, therefore, ships were within their rights to sail through it without prior authorisation.
“From Paris’s point of view, like the rest of the EU, the principles of freedom of navigation are critical to the world economy and trade, therefore there is no reason why European navies or even commercial ships should not be allowed to cross the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
“This is EU policy, not just France or the UK. It has nothing to do with the US, it is international law.”
Source: SCMP
Posted in avoid causing unnecessary upset, Beijing, belt and road plan, China alert, European Union, foreign minister, France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Nanjing University, Paris, Philippe Le Corre, professor of international relations, Putin, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Taiwan Strait, Uncategorized, US hostility, Wang Yi, warship, Washington, Zhu Feng |
Leave a Comment »
27/04/2019
BEIJING (Reuters) – Major European Union countries want to deal with China as a group rather than sign bilateral agreements as individual states, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Friday, attending a summit in Beijing on China’s Belt and Road plan.
European countries have generally signalled their willingness to participate in China’s programme to re-create the old Silk Road joining China with Asia and Europe.
But key states like France and Germany have said China must in turn improve access and fair competition for foreign firms.
Italy in March became the first major Western government to back China’s initiative, even as some EU leaders cautioned Rome against rushing into the arms of Beijing.
Nonetheless, Altmaier said Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom had shown at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Friday that the EU was “in its great majority” united in its belief that “we can only implement our positions together.”
“In the big EU states we have agreed that we don’t want to sign any bilateral memorandums but together make necessary arrangements between the greater European Economic Area and the economic area of Greater China,” Altmaier said when asked if he could see Germany signing a similar bilateral agreement to Italy.
A spokesman for Altmaier’s office later said he was talking about general arrangements and not specifically the Belt and Road.
The minister said he was encouraged by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge to pursue free trade, multilateralism and sustainability as part of Belt and Road.
“We will take this promise seriously” and make suggestions on how to achieve these goals in both Asia and Europe, he said.
China is a partner and a competitor at the same time and the EU must define its interests, Altmaier said.
“And for that we need an industry strategy. For that we need our own connectivity strategy,” he added.
Source: Reuters
Posted in as a group, belt and road forum, belt and road plan, China alert, China’s Belt and Road, Chinese President Xi Jinping, deal with China, Europe, France, German Economy Minister, German minister, Germany, Greater China, old Silk Road, Peter Altmaier, Spain, Uncategorized, United Kingdom |
Leave a Comment »
26/04/2019
BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) — Chinese authorities are looking to renew regional development plans for the country’s less developed western and northeastern regions to bolster broader growth, according to a report by the China Securities Journal.
New guidelines on advancing western development in the new era are set to be released soon, which will focus more on environmental protection and implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, said the paper.
Supply-side structural reforms will be deepened, and technology innovation will be encouraged in the west to foster high-quality growth.
After China put forward the West Development Strategy in 1999, the country’s western regions have achieved remarkable progress in the past decades.
Since 2012, the western regions have sustained an average annual GDP growth rate of 8.9 percent, 1.8 percentage points higher than the national growth rate, suggesting an ever-shrinking development gap between the country’s east and west.
The upgraded strategy is likely to unleash another round of fast growth for the west, and industries including construction and machinery will benefit the most as infrastructure construction will remain a focus, the paper cited Xu Liying, an analyst with Lang Steel Information Research Center.
The paper also reported that plans on reviving the country’s northeastern regions had been drafted for further deliberations.
In recent years, the northeast, an old industrial base, has faced more difficulties than the rest of the country as the region relies largely on heavy and chemical industries, energy resources, raw materials and a large number of state-owned enterprises.
The government has already released a set of measures aimed at revitalizing the northeast, but more efforts are needed to optimize industrial structure and improve the business environment to narrow the development gap with the rest of the country, said the paper.
The upcoming regional plans came as the government seeks to tap development potential in less-developed regions to support growth while reducing regional disparities.
Official data showed the Chinese economy expanded 6.4 percent year on year in the first quarter, remaining flat with the GDP expansion in the previous quarter.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in analyst, bolster growth, China alert, China Securities Journal, Lang Steel Information Research Center, regional development plans, Uncategorized, West Development Strategy in 1999, Xu Liying |
Leave a Comment »
26/04/2019
BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) — The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) facilitates the compliance with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in Latin America, said a senior official of a UN body based in Latin America.
Mario Cimoli, deputy executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the caribbean (ECLAC), made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua.
Also as chief of the division of production, productivity and management of ECLAC, Cimoli has arrived in Beijing to participate in the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on April 25-27.
So far, 18 Latin American countries have signed the Memorandum of Understanding on jointly building the Belt and Road cooperation with China.
“The countries in Latin America view China as a fundamental actor,” he said. “The fact that 18 Latin American countries have joined the Belt and Road Initiative means that these countries think that China is necessary and China is also aware of the importance of dialogue. It’s a historical process.”
In his opinion, the BRI makes “greater integration, greater multilateralism and more dialogue” possible and “does good to Latin America.”
He said that both the 2030 Agenda and the BRI seek sustainable development and reduction of inequality and poverty, without contradicting with the proper model of each country.
“Given that the growth rates of Latin America will not be very high for the next few years, a rational process of cooperation such as the Belt and Road will surely help the region and allow each country to seek and improve their model of development and growth,” the ECLAC official said.
The BRI is a much more horizontal dialogue, a platform, in that sense that it is a process that helps and allows a much more positive coexistence despite current global tensions, he said.
In the dialogue with China, Latin America can demonstrate the importance of being an integrated area of trade, policies, and infrastructures in order to trade better with Asia, he said.
Cimoli also affirmed that the incorporation of new technologies in Latin America is a course under discussion, and dialogue with China can accelerate and improve the process.
Cimoli said his one observation of his ongoing China trip is the extensive use of electronic commerce among ordinary people.
He said when he went out to buy something, he found almost everyone use e-payments.
The way in which technologies immerge into the daily life of Chinese citizens is an example and would be a valuable contribution of China to the world and especially to Latin America, Cimoli said.
“The example of China shows the role that a state should play to trigger the technological development. In this dialogue with China, Latin America surely has to learn from the pragmatism of China,” he said.
The ECLAC official mentioned that China invests over 2 percent of its GDP in science and technology, while the average investment of Latin American countries in the field is between 0.4 and 0.5 percent of its GDP, plus, it appears to be swaying instead of stable state policies.
“There is a lot of cooperation to be done, much experience to be shared and much a platform for dialogue like the Belt and Road Initiative could do,” said Cimoli.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in Belt and Road (B&R), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), chief of the division of production, productivity and management of ECLAC, China alert, deputy executive secretary, ECLAC official, Economic Commission for Latin America and the caribbean (ECLAC), horizontal dialogue, infrastructures, Latin America, Mario Cimoli, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), policies, Sustainable development, Trade, UN 2030 agenda, Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment »
26/04/2019
Li Zhanshu (R), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is here to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) — Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, on Thursday met with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is here to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Li said China is willing to work with Malaysia to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and outcomes to be achieved at the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
He asked for enhanced cooperation between the two countries in agriculture, fishery, e-commerce, technological innovation and people-to-people exchanges, as well as parliamentary exchange and mutual learning in state governance, legislation and supervision.
Mahathir said Malaysia welcomes the Belt and Road Initiative and is willing to learn from China’s development experience and strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in agriculture, Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), bilateral cooperation, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China alert, development experience, E-commerce, fishery, legislation, Li Zhanshu, Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia, Malaysian Prime Minister, mutual learning, parliamentary exchange, people-to-people exchanges, state governance, supervision, technological innovation, Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment »
26/04/2019
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is here to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Tao)
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is here to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
China and the Philippines are neighbors facing each other across the sea, and their development and stability is closely related, Li said, adding that bilateral relations had achieved positive turnaround and consolidation, and had been progressing on the right track, after the joint efforts of the two sides over the past three years.
China is willing to see new achievements in the economic and social development of the Philippines, and align the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with the “Build, Build, Build” program of the Philippines, he said.
Peace and stability in the South China Sea is in line with the common interests of China, the Philippines and other countries in the region, Li added.
China supports the Philippines in fulfilling its responsibilities as the country coordinator for China-ASEAN relations, and expects negotiations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea to be completed soon, Li said.
Li also expressed confidence that countries around the South China Sea will be able to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the region with wisdom, adding that it is necessary to properly manage existing issues through dialogue and consultation, so as to realize common development.
Noting the contribution of the BRI to global prosperity and connectivity, Duterte said the Philippines is ready to deepen the cooperation with China under the BRI framework.
The Philippines will further improve its business environment, and welcomes more investments from Chinese companies, said the president.
Duterte said the Philippines will firmly make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation, and is looking forward to working with other parties to conclude the negotiations on the COC as soon as possible.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Build, Build, Build, China alert, China-ASEAN relations, Chinese premier Li Keqiang, Code of Conduct (COC), Philippine President, Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, South China Sea, Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment »
26/04/2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is here to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday met with Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is here to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Xi received a letter from Indonesian President Joko Widodo handed over by Kalla, and asked Kalla to convey his sincere greetings to the Indonesian president.
“I proposed the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road during my visit to Indonesia,” Xi said, adding that the two countries have made new progress in bilateral relations and achieved remarkable results in cooperation in various fields over the past few years by taking the Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity.
Aligning the joint building of the Belt and Road and Indonesia’s Global Maritime Axis is the overall framework of the bilateral cooperation in the new era, Xi said.
Both sides should identify key areas and directions for cooperation as soon as possible, and implement key projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, he said.
“I have proposed to build a new model of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, with an aim to give a Chinese solution to the problems in today’s world,” Xi said.
That is in line with the “Ten Principles of Bandung Conference” jointly advocated by China and Indonesia 64 years ago, Xi said.
The two sides should communicate and coordinate closely, jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and build a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said.
Kalla said that Indonesia is an important partner in international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in trade, investment, education and other fields.
Indonesia is willing to work with China to firmly uphold multilateralism, and jointly promote global and regional peace, stability and prosperity, Kalla said.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), bilateral cooperation, China alert, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesia, Indonesia's Global Maritime Axis, Indonesian President, Indonesian Vice President, Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, Joko Widodo, Jusuf Kalla, Ten Principles of Bandung Conference, Uncategorized, win-win cooperation |
Leave a Comment »
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 