Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Russian President Vladimir Putin
singed a joint statement between the People's Republic of China and
the Russian Federation Monday.
Major points of the joint statement are as follows:
The heads of state of China and Russia have an in-depth discussion
over the current situation and the prospects of China-Russia
relations.
They state that the deepening of the strategic partnership of
cooperation between China and Russia is in the long-term interest
of the two countries and the two peoples, is the only correct
historic choice, and meets the requirements for coping with
challenges brought about by the development of the world situation
and international relations.
During the past ten years, China-Russia relations have witnessed
positive historic changes. Entering the 21st century, the
political, economic and social foundation of the relations has
become more solid, the mutual trust has been deepened politically,
the traditional friendship between the two peoples has been
strengthened, and the mutually beneficial cooperation has yielded
substantial results.
The close contacts between leaders of the two countries play a
pivotal role in the development of the bilateral relations.
The two heads of state agree that there remain broad prospects and
huge potential for China and Russia to develop good-neighborly,
friendly and cooperative relations and to deepen strategic
cooperation.
The two sides are determined to continue making unremitting efforts
to push forward the bilateral friendly and mutually beneficial
cooperation to a new phase.
The two heads of state reiterate that the two sides will keep
strengthening the exchange of high-level visits and the regular
meeting mechanism, uplift the mutual trust in political and
military fields, frequently exchange views on key bilateral and
international issues, enhance and consolidate coordination and
cooperation between departments of foreign affairs, defense, law
enforcement, economy, and science and technology, and further the
friendly exchanges and pragmatic cooperation at the regional levels
between the two countries.
The two heads of state signed the China-Russia good-neighborly
treaty of friendship and cooperation on July 16, 2001. The practice
in the past year has fully proved that the treaty is of great
realistic and historic significance and has laid a solid foundation
for the healthy and steady development of the good-neighborly
relations of friendship between the two countries.
The treaty is the guiding document that ensures the continuous
development of the bilateral ties and thus enjoys great vitality.
It has opened up a new prospect for the two countries to deepen
their comprehensive strategic cooperation.
The two heads of state reiterate that no matter what changes take
place in the international situation and in China and Russia, it is
the determination of the two sides to adhere to the guideline and
principles set forth in the treaty, continue to promote, expand and
deepen the strategic partnership of cooperation with new contents,
coordinate and support each other on issues of common concern,
fully demonstrate the strategic idea that the two countries will
"forever be good neighbors, friends and partners and never be
enemies," and meet the challenges in the new era with all
peace-loving countries and people all over the world.
The two sides stress that the friendly relations between the two
countries represent a new type of state-to-state relations that
feature non-alignment and non-confrontation and are not targeted at
any third country.
The two presidents are convinced that the solid foundation laid by
the treaty will definitely uplift the Sino-Russian relations to a
new and higher level in this century.
The two presidents point out that national independence,
sovereignty and territorial integrity are the basic elements of the
international law, the essential principles of international
relations and the necessary conditions for each nation's
existence.
It
is the legal right of every nation to firmly condemn and strike
against any attempt or activity that sabotages the above-mentioned
principles.
China and Russia firmly support each other's policy and actions on
maintaining national unification and territorial integrity.
The Russian side reiterates that the government of the People's
Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing
the whole China, and Taiwan is an integral part of the Chinese
territory. Russia will not form any official relations or have
official exchanges with Taiwan. Russia always recognizes that Tibet
is an integral part of China. China supports Russia's efforts in
striking against Chechnya terrorists and separatist.
China and Russia will not allow the establishment of any
organization or group in their own territories that will sabotage
each other's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. They
will prohibit such activities.
The two heads of state hold that strengthening and pushing forward
the all-round bilateral economic and trade cooperation are of great
importance to the long-term stable development of China-Russia
relations.
The two heads of state hold that the regular meeting mechanism
between premiers of two countries is of great significance,
speaking highly of the contributions made by the mechanism for the
long-term economic and trade cooperation between China and
Russia.
The two sides point out that active measures need to be taken to
develop economic and trade relations in stable and predictable
environment.
Such measures include expanding trade scale; increasing proportion
of high-technology, machinery and electronic products and other
high added value products in the bilateral trade; creating
favorable conditions for mutual market accession of two countries'
products, service and investment; promoting economic, technological
and trade cooperation through establishing joint ventures,
manufacture cooperation and technology transfer; improving trade
service systems through strengthening cooperation in banking
settlement, credit and insurance; strengthening legal,
administrative and managerial work to make trade systems accord
with international standards, as well as promoting linkages between
medium and small-sized enterprises in the two countries.
China and Russia will work hard to make breakthroughs in promoting
the all-round bilateral economic and trade relations as well as
improving the quality.
Considering the great importance of bilateral energy cooperation,
the two heads of state guarantee that the China-Russia crude oil
and natural gas pipeline cooperation projects, on which agreements
have been reached, be implemented according to schedule. They also
agree to coordinate the implementation of energy projects with
promising prospect, which are vital to safeguarding long-term and
stable supply of the oil and gas.
The two sides agree that Russia's accession to the World Trade
Organization will be of special significance to Russia's
participation in the world economic system as an equal member of
world economic and trade community.
The two sides agree to hold constructive bilateral negotiations
concerning Russia's entry into the WTO and reach relevant
agreements under the condition that interests of both sides are
considered, regarding this conducive to the bilateral economic and
trade relations.
The Chinese side expresses its support for Russia's accession to
the WTO, holding that the accession will make the WTO an
international organization with greater broadness.
The two presidents believe that expanding friendly exchanges and
cooperation in fields of education, culture, health, sports and
media is conducive to consolidating the social foundation of the
good-neighborly friendship and mutual trust between China and
Russia.
They recognize the great significance of the work of China-Russia
committee of friendship, peace and development, and agree on
attaching great importance to further improving the form and the
method of the committee's work.
In
order to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between the
two peoples, the two presidents agree to further take effective
measures to boost exchanges between Chinese and Russian citizens
and to regulate and improve relevant laws and regulations.
The two also emphasize the significance of the cooperation in the
field of law enforcement. The two sides will carry out cooperation
in fighting against illegal immigration.
The two point out that further efforts should be made to strengthen
cooperation in ecological and environmental protection, especially
in protecting the environment in the border areas, and to improve
laws and regulations in this regard.
The crimes of international terrorism committed in New York,
Moscow, Bali Island and other regions of the world show that
terrorism, splittism and extremism have become serious threats to
the safety of sovereign states, as well as to the world peace and
stability. Factors causing uncertainty in global security have
increased. The two presidents maintain that double standards should
not be adopted in addressing these problems, and the anti-terrorism
campaign must depend on joint efforts of all countries in the
world. Therefore, China and Russia have determined to take
necessary and concrete measures, on both bilateral and multilateral
basis, to sternly crack down upon terrorism of various forms.
The two sides reiterate that both Chechnya and East Turkistan
terrorists are parts of international terrorism, which should be
jointly condemned and cracked down upon by all countries of the
international community. To effectively secure safety and stability
in China and Russia and promote regional and world peace and
prosperity, the two sides will strengthen mutual support in
combating terrorism and enhance coordination and cooperation on
international issues.
Last June, the six member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) signed an agreement in St. Petersburg on setting
up a permanent regional anti-terrorism agency. The two heads of
state speak highly of the potential of the SCO in conducting
anti-terrorism cooperation, and hold that this regional agency
should start substantial operation as soon as possible.
The two sides also praise the work of the China-Russia
anti-terrorism joint working group and stress that the constructive
relationship of trustworthy dialogue established by the working
group completely matches the level of the China-Russia strategic
partnership of cooperation.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the international situation
has undergone deep and complex changes. Non-traditional challenges
like international terrorism have posed severe threat to the world
peace and security. Local clashes keep cropping up. The origin of
tension and instability still exists. The gap between the South and
the North continues to widen. The peace and development of mankind
are facing challenges that could not be neglected.
The two presidents believe the harmonious co-existence and
diversity of different countries and the democratization of
international relations will help strengthen global stability and
security.
The two sides believe that peace and development remain as the
theme of the times. As multi-polarization of the world and economic
globalization keep gaining momentum, peoples of all nations wish to
establish a new, just and rational international political and
economic order, which will ensure the sustained development,
equality and security of all nations.
China and Russia hold that the United Nations is the main mechanism
to safeguard international security and cooperation in a
multi-polarized world, and its core role should be strengthened.
The two sides agree to further enhancing the efficiency of the UN,
its Security Council in particular.
The two sides believe that at a time of globalization and sci-tech
advancement, countries are becoming increasingly more
inter-dependent. It is necessary to formulate an overall strategy
for sustainable development of the mankind. The military,
political, economic, ecological and human contents related to
international security are inter-linked and such a concept should
form the basis of the overall strategy mentioned above.
The two presidents believe the two sides' coordination on strategic
stability issues is of great significance to fortifying
international security and local and global stability.
The two sides will cooperate within the framework of bilateral
relations and related international forums, promote the formulation
and adoption of effective measures in arms control, disarmament,
and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their
carriers.
The two sides will make further efforts to advance their joint
proposal on the conclusion of an international agreement on
weaponry-free outer space.
The two sides will continue their close coordination in resolving
the issue of missile proliferation. They hold that it is necessary
to further explore and advance the proposal for multilateral talks
so as to formulate a legally binding agreement on global missile
non-proliferation mechanism.
Multilateral organizations such as the United Nations should play a
major role in this area. China and Russia are ready to continue
bilateral dialogue on export control related to
non-proliferation.
The two sides attach great importance to international cooperation
on protection and promotion of human rights. They believe that no
"double standards" should be adopted in this area, and stand
against the use of human rights problems for imposing pressures in
international relations.
The two sides stress it should become a norm of international
relations to resolve regional conflicts by political and diplomatic
means and through dialogues and negotiations.
The two sides maintain that the Iraq issue should be thoroughly
resolved through political and diplomatic means on the basis of
strictly observing resolutions of the UN Security Council. They are
willing to further cooperate within the UN framework on this
issue.
The two sides have a discussion on the Middle East situation and
express grave concern over the prolonged Palestine-Israel
confrontation. They believe that the use of force can never resolve
their differences and a political solution conforms to the
long-term interests of all nations. The goal of the political
solution is the peaceful co-existence of Israel and Palestine as
two countries within their safe and recognized boundaries.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has become an important
factor in maintaining regional peace, safety and stability, as well
as a pillar in the future structure of a multipolar world. In the
current complicated international situation, it is in the common
interests of SCO member countries to inject new vigor into the
organization so that it can take a more active part in regional and
international affairs for the promotion of peace and prosperity in
Asia and the creation of cooperative atmosphere for dialogues on an
equal footing.
The two presidents, therefore, maintain that it is of primary
importance to strengthen cooperation within the framework of the
SCO.
China and Russia are willing to work with the other member
countries of the SCO to speed up the improvement of the SCO
mechanism, set up the SCO secretariat and regional anti-terrorism
institution at an early date, intensify the fight against
terrorism, separatism and extremism and take measures to curb drug
trafficking and other forms of cross-border crime, deepen the
extensive cooperation in economic and cultural fields, and actively
carry out exchanges and cooperation between the SCO and other
international organizations and countries to safeguard peace and
development of the region and the world as a whole.
The two presidents hold that to strengthen multilateral cooperation
in the field of security in the Asian-Pacific region is one of the
key factors in consolidating global strategic stability. The two
countries will strive to establish an effective regional
multilateral cooperation system to ensure stability and security in
the Asian-Pacific region.
They express worries about the prospect and possible results of
relevant countries jointly establishing a theater missile defense
system in east Asia on a bloc basis, and reiterate such cooperation
should not break regional and global security and stability. Both
sides appeal to all countries concerned for strengthening dialogues
on the issue. China and Russia will continue consultations on the
issue within the bilateral framework.
The two sides have discussed Central Asian situations. They point
out that it is crucial to maintain stability and security in the
region.
Both sides point out that the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) plays a constructive role in establishing a new
type of state-to-state relations in the Asia-Pacific, and hold that
the ASEAN Regional Forum is an effective mechanism for conducting
political dialogues on regional security issues. Both sides
reiterate that they will carry out close cooperation within the
framework of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
Russia reiterates its positive attitude toward the further
development of "ASEAN plus three" dialogue and cooperation
mechanism. China will provide necessary assistance to Russia for
the establishment of contacts between Russia and the mechanism in
the fields of common concern.
Both sides hold that comprehensively advancing economic, trade,
investment and technological cooperation within the framework of
the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a major
contribution to the stability and development in the Asia-Pacific
region. Both sides are willing to conduct regular consultations on
APEC affairs to exchange views and coordinate their positions.
Both sides speak highly of the Asia-Europe Meeting's contributions
to pushing forward the further development of a new equal
partnership between Asia and Europe. The Chinese side supports
Russia's entry into the Meeting.
The two heads of state welcome the establishment of a nuclear-free
area in related regions in Asia, and hold that such a nuclear-free
area should fully take into consideration the interests and
concerns of all countries.
The two heads of state support the continuation and advancement of
the relaxation process in recent years on the Korean Peninsula,
especially the dialogs and cooperation between the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK),
and are for the normalization of relations between the DPRK and
Japan and the implementation of the results achieved at the
Pyongyang summit.
Both sides hold that it is crucial to peace and security in
northeast Asia to maintain a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and the
system for non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Both
sides emphasize that the United States and the DPRK should, as
always, abide by all agreements reached before including the 1994
framework agreement, and realize, on this basis, the normalization
of their relations in the principle of conducting constructive and
equal dialogs for catering to mutual concerns. Both sides will
continue to develop good-neighborly friendship and cooperation with
the DPRK and the ROK so as to facilitate peace and prosperity in
the region.
Both sides completely support the work done by the Afghan
transitional government to bring the country's situation back to
normal in line with the Bonn agreement, the Loya Jirgah's (Grand
Assembly) decisions and resolutions adopted by the United Nations
Security Council. Both sides express their worries about the
instability of the Afghan situation, the rampant activities of the
residual Taliban forces, the intensifying contradictions among
different ethnic groups and the increasing output of drugs. Both
sides stress that the UN's leading role in solving Afghan issues
must be upheld.
The two heads of state declare that they are willing to continue to
conduct close and mutually-trusted political dialogs, expand and
deepen economic cooperation of mutual benefit, boost cooperation in
international affairs, and consolidate the friendship between the
two peoples.
(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2002)