By Zong Shu
Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing is arguably one of the top
international news makers since the new year began.
Setting off on December 31 for visits to eight countries in
Africa, Li has generated much news coverage from the international
media.
A casual news search on www.yahoo.com yielded 254 headlines last
week.
"He brings a program of debt forgiveness, fresh credits and
deals to help largely poor and underdeveloped states improve their
economies," according to an editorial in Arab News on
January 9.
"There are undoubtedly commercial opportunities here for Chinese
businesses, not least in the supply of raw materials, but there is
more to this progress to countries which have often been neglected
by the West," the editorial said.
Barely having time for a sojourn, Li arrived in Cebu, the
Philippines, last Thursday, with a full schedule of events at the
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit and the East
Asia Regional Summit, which concluded on Monday.
In between his visits, Li spoke on the phone with US Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice, exchanging views "on issues of common
concern", according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Li's name has also appeared on the organizing committees for the
"Year of China" in Russia and the China-Korea Exchange Year.
The Chinese foreign minister's hectic working schedule is a
prelude to a busy year ahead of high-level international diplomacy
for China.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is now in Manila on an official
visit to the Philippines, after attending the 10th ASEAN plus Three
(China, Japan and the ROK) summit, the 10th China-ASEAN summit, and
an East Asian regional summit.
Preparations are also underway for Chinese President Hu Jintao's first official tour abroad this
year to several African countries as a follow up to the Beijing
Declaration that he and about 40 African heads of states worked out
last November during the Beijing Summit on China-Africa Cooperation.
More exchanges between top Chinese leaders and their
counterparts are to follow.
Wen is expected to visit Japan in the spring, the first Chinese
premier to visit the country in seven years.
In March, China and Russia will officially kick off the Year of
China in Russia. In their New Year messages to each other on
December 31, President Hu and Russian President Vladimir Putin
announced the start of the "Year of China" in Russia. They also
forecast a series of important meetings and events between the
leaders of the two countries.
Also on the agenda is the China-US strategic economic dialogue
between cabinet members in May, in Washington DC.
All the forthcoming exchanges and talks will further promote the
successes of China's diplomacy last year.
In an article published in the latest issue of Qiushi,
or Seeking Truth, the theoretical magazine of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of China, Li stressed several areas in which
China made achievements in its international and bilateral
diplomacy last year.
Li pointed out that China strengthened cooperation with its
neighbors and developing countries last year, with three summits as
the main focus.
Li wrote that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in
Shanghai last June saw the signing of 10 documents including the
Declaration on the Fifth Anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization.
The SCO member countries reached consensus on building
long-term, friendly cooperation and vowed to deepen cooperation on
economic, trade, security and culture, Li said.
In late October, the Commemorative Summit marking the 15th
Anniversary of Dialogue Relations between China and ASEAN was held, with a joint
statement promising to cement their strategic partnership.
The Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in
Beijing in early November witnessed the Beijing Declaration on the
establishment of a new strategic partnership between China and
Africa.
President Hu spelled out eight new measures that China is
adopting in its support of development of African countries.
Meanwhile, the China-Africa Forum-Beijing Action Plan provided
the blueprint for cooperation between China and African countries
in the next three years.
"The summit injected new momentum into the traditional
Sino-African friendship and cooperation," Li wrote.
China has also advanced its relations with major powers in the
world, according to Li.
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Last year, Chinese and American heads of states met several times
and reached consensus on promoting constructive cooperation in the
21st century.
The landmark strategic economic dialogue between China and the
United States was held early last month, while the two countries
also carried out the third strategic dialogue in November.
All these Sino-US exchanges reflected the two countries' greater
interaction, boosted economic, trade, military, law enforcement,
anti-terrorism, anti-proliferation, education, culture, and health
cooperation.
The China-Russia strategic partnership grew, with Hu and Putin
meeting five times last year, according to Li.
China launched the "Year of Russia" in March, with more than 250
events involving trade, investment, culture, and education;
highlighting closer ties between the two neighbors.
EU-China relations saw stable growth, according to Li, with
talks on politics, trade, energy, education and climate change.
On September 9, Wen and EU leaders announced at the ninth
EU-China Summit in Helsinki that China and the EU had agreed to
launch negotiations on a framework Partnership and Cooperation
Agreement, which would encompass the full scope of their
relationship.
The negotiations will start today with the arrival of Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commisioner for External Relations, on her
official visit to China through Thursday at Li Zhaoxing's
invitation.
Years of difficulties in the relations between China and Japan
were turned around late last year with new Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe's visit to China in October.
During their meeting in November at the 14th Economic Leaders'
Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum last
month in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, Hu and Abe agreed to further
Sino-Japanese relations.
In his article, Li pointed out that the world witnessed the
heating up of major issues of international concern.
The Korean nuclear issue became more complicated with North
Korea carrying out its first nuclear test while the Iranian nuclear
crisis heightened as it went ahead with its uranium enrichment
program.
At the same time, Israel-Palestinian conflicts intensified and
Iraq continued to suffer from chaos and war. The effect of the
bombings between Israel and Lebanon is still being felt in the
Middle East.
China played a constructive role in handling these thorny
issues, Li wrote. It started the serious diplomatic maneuvering to
reopen the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular
nuclear issue and actively participated in the six-country
mechanism over the Iranian nuclear issue.
China also exerted its influence in finding ways to alleviate
the Darfur crisis in Sudan, according to Li.
Another highlight of China's work in international relations
last year was that it consolidated its multilateral diplomacy.
During the dialogue between the G8 and developing countries, the
APEC forum and the sixth Asia-Europe summit, Hu and Wen elaborated
China's determination to keep the country on the peaceful
development road, and its opening up strategy featuring mutual
benefits and policy of building a harmonious world.
"More and more countries have recognized that China's
development is peaceful, open, cooperative and harmonious, and
China is a staunch force in safeguarding world peace and promoting
common prosperity," Li said.
He noted that China continued to support and push for the reform
of the United Nations, participated in a wide range of activities
of the United Nations and international multilateral economic
organizations.
China also offered help and aid within its ability to those
countries and people who suffered from natural disasters and other
difficulties, such as rescuing Vietnamese fishing ships and
offering aid to Indonesia, North Korea, Thailand and the
Philippines.
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China donated US$10 million to the international program on
prevention of bird flu during the ministerial meeting sponsored by
China, EU and World Bank.
Li said that over the past year, China also actively promoted
bilateral and multilateral cooperation and exchanges in businesses,
trade and technologies.
By November last year, 64 countries recognized China's market
economy status.
China, Russia and other countries established long-term
cooperation in energy resources and set up dialogue with OPEC and
the energy working group of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
China intensified its consultations with leading countries in
the world to ensure stable and secure energy supply, such as
hosting the meeting of energy ministers from the US, Japan,
Republic of Korea and India.
Li said the foreign ministry staff posted around the world also
worked closely with their international counterparts in ensuring
the legal rights and safety of Chinese overseas.
Cases that involved official consulate assistance, mediation and
handling numbered more than 30,000, and included business disputes,
traffic accidents, crimes as well as emergencies such as evacuation
of Chinese nationals in times of social chaos and terrorist
attacks.
China will continue to maintain that peace, development and
cooperation is an inevitable trend in the world.
(China Daily January 16, 2007)
