Closer community with shared future
President Xi Jinping on Friday addresses the opening ceremony of the 17th ChinaASEAN Expo and ChinaASEAN Business and Investment Summit via video. The following is the full text:
Your excellencies leaders of participating countries, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
As the 1 7 th C hinaASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and C hinaASEAN Business and I nvestment Summit (CABIS) open today, I wish to extend, on behalf of the Chinese government and people and also in m y own name, a hear ty welcome and warm greetings to all the guests at tending in person or via the internet.
This year ’ s CAEXPO , themed “Building the Belt and Road, Strengthening Digital Econom y Cooperation”, aims to deepen ChinaASEAN cooperation on the digital economy, promote highqualit y Belt and Road cooperation, and injec t new vitalit y into the economic and social development of both sides.
China and ASEAN countries, connected by the same mountains and rivers, share close affinity and a longstanding friendship. I n 20 13, I announced an initiative for China to work with ASEAN countries for a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and for a closer ChinaASEAN community with a shared future.
We are glad to note that, se ven years on, C hina and ASEAN enjoy growing connectivity, deepening economic integration, robust business ties, and closer peopletopeople exchanges. T he C hinaASEAN relationship has grown into the most successful and vibrant model for cooperation in the A siaPacific and an e xemplary ef fort in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
When confronted by the sudden onslaught of COVID19 this year, China and ASEAN have helped each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. W e ha ve reached impor tant consensus in man y respec ts, including sharing e xperience on COVID19 response, ensuring medical supplies, conduc ting joint research and de velopment of vaccines, and keeping the regional industrial and supply chains stable. At a crucial stage in C hina’s fight against the corona virus, ASEAN countries promptly provided in valuable support and selfless assistance to China. Once the situation began to ease on its domestic front, China sent expert teams to ASEAN countries, of fered material and technical assistance, shared containment experience, and speedily opened “fast tracks” and “green lanes” to facilitate the flow of people and goods.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends, Our world is undergoing momentous changes unsee nina century. It is moving toward greater multi polarity, economic globalization and cultural diversity, and is becoming increasingly informationoriented. Never before have the destinies of people in different countries been so closely connected. At the same time, however, the world is faced with growing uncertainties and instability. The world economy is sluggish; unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise; c ybersecurity issues, major infectious diseases, climate change, and many other non traditional security threats continue to spread; and the international order and global governance system are being challenged.
Under the new circumstances, China continues to regard ASEAN as a priority in its neighborhood diplo
macy and a key region in highquality Belt and Road cooperation. China supports ASEAN ’s communitybuilding, supports ASEAN centrality in East Asian cooperation, and supports A SEAN in playing a bigger role in building an open and inclusive regional architecture.
China will work with ASEAN to advance allaround cooperation under the guidance of the Strategic Partnership Vision 2030. Such efforts will help maintain the good momentum for development and prosperity in our region and cultivate a closer China A SEAN community with a shared future. For that to happen, let me make the following sug gestions on what we need to do:
First, we need to enhance strategic mutual trust and fur ther synergize our de velopment plans.
China will work with ASEAN to advance our wideranging cooperation in the coming five years in line with the Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on ChinaA SEAN Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity (20212025). China will also work with ASEAN to implement the China A SEAN Joint Statement on Synergizing the Belt and Road Initiative and the Master Plano nA SEAN Connectivity 2025. To be specific, more efforts will be made to build the New International LandSea Trade Corridor, strengthen cooperation on infrastructure connectivity including railways, highways, ports, airports, power and communications, speed up the development of existing economic corridor sand key projects, and continue to develop the C hinaASEAN Multimodal Transport Alliance. Next year will mark the 30 th anniversary of ChinaASEAN dialogue relations. China will work with ASEAN on the planning and organization of commemorative events and take our stra
tegic partnership to a higher level.
Second, we need to elevate economic and trade cooperation and facilit ate an early and full recovery of the regional economy.
China will enhance coordination with A SEAN countries, and take the 10 th anniversary of the full establishment of the China A SEAN FT A as an opportunity to further implement our free trade agreement. China welcomes the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and looks forward to its early entry into force. China will work with ASEAN countries to sustain the smooth flow of trade, promote mutual in vestment, open up markets wider to each other, and foster deeply integrated industrial, supply and value chains. Provided that all necessary COVID19 containment protocols are duly observed, steps should be taken to facilitate the movement of people and goods. We also need to further deepen and substantiate LancangMekong cooperation and C hinaBIMPEAGA cooperation. The CAEXPO should be used fully as a platform with a biger role to play in promoting allaround economic and trade cooperation between China and A SEAN and in the entire East Asia.
Third, we need to enhance innovation in science and technology and deepen cooperation on the digit al econom y.
This year is designated the ChinaASEAN Year of Digital Econom y Cooperation. China will work with ASEAN countries to seize the oppor tunities presented by the new round of scientific and technological re volution and industrial transformation. W e should tap into our complementarity and pursue mutually beneficial cooperation. We could create more highlights of cooperation in such areas as smart city, 5G, ar tificial intelligence,
ecommerce, big data, block chain and telemedicine, and streng then the protec tion of data sec urity and policy communication and coordination, as these eforts will help nurture new drivers for the social and economic development of our two sides. China will work with ASEAN on the ChinaASEAN I nformation H arbor to advance digital connec tivity and build a digital Silk Road.
Fourth, we need to strengthen cooperation ag ainst COVID -19 and enhance capacit y building in public health.
China stands ready for policy dialogue on public health with ASEAN to improve cooperation mechanisms. It is important that we join forces in fighting the coronavirus and step up information sharing and cooperation on the production, development, and deployment of vaccines. When its COVID 19 vaccines are available for use, China will actively consider the needs of A SEAN countries. China will provide financial support to the COVID 19 ASEAN Response Fund, and work with A SEAN in developing the Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies and launching a Liaison Mechanism for Public Health Emergencies with ASEAN. China will act on the ChinaASEAN Human Resources Training Program of Health Silk Road (20202022) to train for ASEAN countries 1,000 administrative and specialized personnel in the health sec tor, in a bid to help deliver higher quality public health services in the region. China will work with ASEAN countries and other members of the international community through greater solidarity and cooperation to support the World Health Organization in playing a leadership role and to build a global community of health for all.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends, China has secured major strategic achievements in coordinating COVID19 response and economic and social development. It is the first major economy in the world to resume growth. The recently concluded Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee adopted recommendations for formulating China’s 14 th FiveYear Plan. The plenum underscored that China will finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects within the set time frame, and will embark on a ne w journey next year toward fully building a modern socialist country. Based on a scientific analysis of the new stage of China’s development, we will sta y committed to the new development philosophy, and actively foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the main stay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. China will stay as committed as ever to further openingup, and seek greater synergy through the interplay of its domestic and world economies. China will fuel a worldwide recovery with its own economic rebound, and countries around the world, ASEAN members included, will all benefit from it. Looking ahead, ChinaASEAN cooperation will enjoy still greater prospects.
The CAEXPO and CABIS are a resultsoriented platform for us to advance regional economic integration. I hope this year’s gathering will enable China and ASEAN countries to find more business opportunities, reap more fruits, and usher in a brighter future of prosperity.