China ; Xi's trip to central, south Asia opens new chapter for China's neighborhood diplomacy

Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Friday night after a trip to central and south Asia. Xi's state visits to Tajikistan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India, and his attendance at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, opened a new chapter for China's neighborhood diplomacy that features amity and cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters upon the end of the trip.

The Sept. 11-19 tour also charted a fresh course for the "One Belt and One Road" initiatives (the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road), he said.

All the four nations are pivot points of the "One Belt and One Road" with which China has historic ties and interwoven contemporary interests, and all of them hope to ride on the fast train of China's development to fulfill their own dreams, Wang said. Xi's trip to central and south Asia was aimed at bringing together the aspirations of countries in the region with the "One Belt and One Road" initiatives to pursue common prosperity and security, he added.

During the tour which spanned 9 days and included more than 70 events, Xi has conducted in-depth exchanges of opinions with national leaders and reached out to the general public of those countries.

The Chinese president also expounded China's policy, proposed new initiatives and witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements on a number of major projects.

The trip also made headlines in the world's leading news outlets, which agreed that it was an important visit with far-reaching influence for guiding the SCO's development and improving China's relations with the four nations and South Asia, according to Wang.

BOOSTING SCO COOPERATION WITH TWIN ENGINES OF SECURITY, ECONOMY

Facing the spillover effect of the Afghan issue and the rising threats of religious extremism and terrorism, it was a common wish for SCO member states and regional countries to jointly tackle the challenges and boost cooperation, Wang said. Founded in Shanghai in 2001, the SCO groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. At the SCO's Dushanbe summit, President Xi put forward new proposals to further develop the bloc under the new situation, which is the central theme of the gathering.

The SCO members, he suggested, should focus on combating religion-involved extremism and cyber-terrorism, continue to boost cooperation on law enforcement and security, and jointly crack down on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism. Xi also suggested that the SCO member states adhere to the goal of common development and prosperity, while calling for more extensive and higher-level cooperation in trade and investment.

Moreover, he said SCO members need to comprehensively promote people-to-people exchanges, while urging the SCO to expand external exchanges and cooperation.

In addition, Xi said all member countries, observers and dialogue partners are welcome to vigorously participate in the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and promote regional connectivity.

Xi's proposals are based on a careful study of global and regional situation, and are both future-oriented and pragmatic, Wang said.

Summit participants warmed up to those ideas and incorporated them into the final documents of the meeting, he said. In a joint declaration, the six SCO members pledged further concerted efforts to fight the "three evil forces", with the current focus on religious extremism and internet terrorism.

They also pledged to actively join the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt, conduct study on the feasibility of an SCO development fund and an SCO development bank, and coordinate closer on regional hotspot issues like Afghanistan. One of the major outcomes of the summit is the ratification of two documents that define the basic principles of membership enlargement, which demonstrated the bloc's openness, inclusiveness and appeal as well as its growing global clouts, Wang said.

Ahead of the summit, President Xi also held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and both sides decided to complement each other's advantages and boost cooperation on financial sector and major projects.

They also vowed to speed up the construction of the China-Russia west route natural gas pipeline and enhance coordination on major global issues.

On the sidelines of the summit, Xi also attended the first trilateral summit between China, Mongolia and Russia, during which he proposed to construct an economic corridor linking the three nations. The Chinese president also held separate talks with counterparts from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, with broad consensus reached on expanding pragmatic cooperation between China and these nations.

LIFTING CHINA'S TIES WITH NATIONS IN THE TRIP

China and India, as the world's two largest developing countries and emerging economies, enjoy a longtime friendship and are in a historic process of national rejuvenation, Wang said, adding that both have become important powers during the world's multi-polarization process. Chinese and Indian leaders decided to carry forward their friendship from both historic depths and comprehensive perspectives, and keep reciprocal cooperation as the constant theme of China-India relations.

During talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xi noted that the harmonious coexistence, and peaceful, cooperative and inclusive development of the Chinese Dragon and the Indian Elephant will benefit the two nations, neighboring countries and the globe.

Modi said the two sides should constantly push forward their relationship in the spirit of "From Inch to Mile". Sharing such a view, both heads of states agreed to build a closer developmental partnership, deepen the cooperation within bilateral, regional and global frameworks. They also agreed to defend their common interests and other developing countries, and enhance the just and sound development of international politics and economic order.

They reaffirmed that both sides will properly manage and control the border disputes between the two nations, maintain peace and security in the border regions, and find a solution at an early date. President Xi's visit has propelled the development of China-India ties into a new historic phase. Indian leaders, including President Pranab Mukherjee, said the mutually-beneficial cooperation with China is vital to India if the latter wants to take advantages from Asia's development. They said India is ready to make joint efforts with China to achieve common development and prosperity. During the meetings with leaders of Tajikistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, President Xi made, together with them, top-level design and strategic planning for further developing ties between China and these nations.

At the meetings, Xi also reiterated China's firm support for the three countries' choices of own political systems and development paths.

All the bilateral talks emphasized, among others issues, a pledge to back core interests and major concerns of each other's country, and a willingness to share the development experience and profits, according to Wang, the Chinese foreign minister. In India, Xi also delivered a speech on China's policy toward India and South Asia in the new era, expounding China's major measures to strengthen the cooperation with South Asian nations, while expressing the hope to realize common development and prosperity via the implementation of the "One Belt, One Road" initiatives.

PROMOTING "ONE BELT, ONE ROAD" INITIATIVES

Xi's four-country Asia trip highlighted the "One Belt and One Road" initiatives brought up by the Chinese president last year, according to Wang.

Xi proposed to closely knit China's competitive industries with the geographical features and the development needs of Tajikistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and India, by building the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21 Century Maritime Silk Road," Wang said. China signed more than 60 cooperative documents with the four countries during Xi's visit, Wang listed, adding that the countries have pledged active participation in constructing the "belt" and the "road," he said.

Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom hailed that the initiative more closely linked Asian nations with each other.

Noting that enhancing understanding between different peoples is an important part of the Chinese initiative, Wang said Xi reached consensus of high-degree with leaders of the destination countries in terms of enhancing cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, visited schools and was ardent in promoting public welfare and conducting cultural exchanges during the trip, showcasing the charm of China in an unique way, the foreign minister said.

Talking about China's active neighborhood diplomacy, Wang said China cannot develop without a peaceful, stable and cooperative environment, and that China's development has brought significant cooperation opportunities for neighboring countries. Xi has visited 13 countries in Central, Southeast, Northeast and South Asia since he took office more than a year ago, where he expounded China's development targets, path and prospect, a reflection of the guidelines of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in China's neighborhood diplomacy, Wang said.

Xi's endeavors combined the Chinese dream with the aspiration of the peoples of neighboring countries to live a good life and enhanced mutual understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and these countries, Wang said. Wang pledged that his country would implement the fruitful results of Xi's Asia trip, as well as the "One Belt and One Road" initiative, which benefit not only China but also its neighbors.