Xi, leaders hold talks at APEC

Editor’s note: President Xi Jinping met on Saturday with leaders attending the 26th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The following are the highlights of the talks.

In a meeting with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, President Xi Jinping said China and Chile should upgrade their free trade agreement to expand trade, optimize trade structure, deepen investment cooperation and press ahead on major interconnectivity projects.

Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic ties with China, and these bilateral ties have taken a lead among China-Latin American relations for a long time, Xi said, calling for both sides to lift the ties to new heights.

Xi congratulated Pinera on his second term as Chilean president, and he said the China-Chile comprehensive strategic partnership, under the guidance of the two heads of state, would open a new chapter, achieve new development and make more contributions to overall China-Latin America cooperation.

Republic of Korea

Meeting with his Republic of Korea counterpart Moon Jae-in, President Xi Jinping said China and the ROK should enhance communication and coordinate with each other to advance the process of denuclearization and push for the establishment of a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula as the situation there is at a crucial stage.

Xi said, the situation on the peninsula has shown positive change over the past year and that the peninsular issue has on the whole returned to the right track of dialogue and consultation.

The facts have shown our endeavors are effective, he said.

Under Moon’s leadership, the ROK has been committed to promoting the easing of tension on the peninsula and engaging in reconciliation and interaction activities between the south and north, Xi said.

China supports the efforts of the two sides to continuously improve their relations, Xi said.

The key is that all parties concerned should meet each other halfway, show flexibiliment,

Indonesia

When meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, President Xi Jinping said China will enhance communication and coordination with Indonesia within the framework of APEC.

Xi said China and Indonesia are both major developing countries and emerging economies and they share similar positions in many fields. China is willing to maintain high-level communication with Indonesia and guide the development of bilateral ties from a strategic height and long-term perspective. he said.

Noting that the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding last month on the Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia’s Vision of Global Maritime Fulcrum, Xi called on the two sides to push forward related cooperation.

He said that China attaches importance to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor initiative, proposed

and Chile have signed an intergovernmental agreement on the Belt and Road Initiative, and the next move in this regard is to define key areas and projects and strive for an early harvest, Xi said. He also stressed the role of bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

As the year of 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the China-Chile diplomatic relationship, Xi proposed holding a series of celebrations for the anniversary.

China is willing to step up cooperation with Chile in areas like technology and Antarctic affairs, Xi said.

China supports Chile hosting the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting next year, and will work jointly with

ty, continue their talks and make the talks yield results, he added.

Regarding the bilateral relationship, Xi said the consensuses reached between the two heads of state have been implemented effectively over the past year and the bilateral ties have steadily improved and developed.

He urged the two countries to deepen their strategic cooperative partnership and jointly make positive contributions to lasting peace and prosperity in the region.

The two sides should continue to give full play to the guiding role of high-level leaders, respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, strengthen communication, build and consolidate mutual trust, and properly handle sensitive issues, Xi said.

He called for greater efforts from both sides to jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative, accelerate the secondphase negotiations of the bilateral free trade agreeChina

by Widodo, and is willing to undertake substantive cooperation with Indonesia in this regard at an early date. China is ready to receive more imports from Indonesia and advance bilateral cooperation on finance, e-commerce and cultural exchange, Xi said.

China is willing to work with Indonesia to promote the optimization and upgrading of relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, push for more progress in East Asia cooperation, and strengthen bilateral communication and coordination within multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the G20, Xi said.

China will continue to Chile to push forward the construction of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, he added.

Pinera said the Chile-China relationship has a solid foundation and robust development, and the FTA upgrading provided a broader prospect for further cooperation.

China is Chile’s largest trading partner and a major source of foreign investment.

Chile will work with China to enhance high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation in such areas as trade, investment, infrastructure, technology, and join hands to promote the Belt and Road construction, uphold free trade and build an open world economy, Pinera said.

Chile hopes to maintain communication and coordination with China and make next year’s APEC meeting a success, he added. Xinhua contributed to this story. and optimize and upgrade their mutually beneficial cooperation.

Xi also proposed that the two sides strengthen coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as APEC, the G20 and the China-Japan-ROK trilateral meetings.

Moon extended congratulations on the success of the first China International Import Expo, which was held in Shanghai this month.

The bilateral relations are now showing a trend of quick recovery, with exchanges and cooperation in various areas picking up markedly, he said.

The ROK is willing to make joint efforts with China to deepen cooperation, thus benefiting the two peoples, Moon said.

The ROK thinks highly of and greatly appreciates the vital role of China in promoting the easing of Korean Peninsula situation and the settlement of the peninsula issue, he said, adding that the ROK stands ready to coordinate and cooperate with China more closely in this regard. Xinhua contributed to this story. push for the economic integration in the Asia-Pacific, he said, and inject new impetus into the economic development of the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

Widodo congratulated China on the success of the China International Import Expo, and he said he appreciated China’s help in relief work after the recent earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia.

He said he was pleased to have reached a series of important cooperation agreements and consensuses with China, and that he hoped to strengthen bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas.

Indonesia supports the development of ASEAN-China relations and is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China in international and regional affairs, he added. Xinhua contributed to this story.