Xi’s PNG, Brunei, Philippines Visits to Cement Bilateral Ties, Asia-Pacific Co-operation
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visits to Papua New Guinea, Brunei, and the Philippines from November 15 to 21 will facilitate Asia-Pacific co-operation and intensify bilateral ties, senior officials said on Tuesday.
Mr Xi will pay a state visit to Papua New Guinea from November 15 to 16, Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang told a press briefing. During his visit, Mr Xi will meet with leaders from eight Pacific island countries, which have established diplomatic ties with China, in Papua New Guinea’s capital city of Port Moresby, according to Mr Zheng.
The countries include Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Cook Islands, Tonga and Niue.
It will be the first time for a Chinese head of state to visit Papua New Guinea, Mr Zheng added.
The trip is expected to inject strong impetus to China’s co-operation with these countries and exert long-lasting and positive influence on peace, stability, and development of the region, Zheng said. According to Mr Zheng, Mr Xi’s upcoming meetings with leaders of the Pacific island countries will be held bilaterally and collectively.
“President Xi will deliver a keynote speech to expound on China’s policies toward the Pacific island countries based on the approach of upholding justice and pursuing shared interests and the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, and announce major co-operation measures to support the island countries’ development,” Mr Zheng added.
Fostering friendship
Noting that the Pacific island countries are all developing countries, Mr Zheng said Mr Xi’s visit will cement the friendship between China and developing countries and inject strong impetus into the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
Mr Xi will make his first state visits to Brunei and the Philippines from November 18 to 21, Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said at the press briefing.
Mr Xi and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral ties and regional and international issues of common concern, and outline mutually beneficial co-operation between the two countries in various areas, according to Mr Kong.
The two countries are expected to publish a joint statement to intensify their joint construction of the Belt and Road and people-to-people exchanges, Mr Kong added.
During his visit to the Philippines, Mr Xi will hold talks with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, and meet President of the Senate Vicente Sotto III and House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Kong said.
“At present, mutual trust between China and the Philippines has constantly improved,” said Kong, stressing the two countries will continue to deal with the South China Sea issue through dialogue and consultation and support each other on regional and multilateral occasions.
A joint statement is going to be announced as the two sides are preparing co-operation documents on trade, infrastructure, and peopleto-people exchanges, according to Kong.
In Papua New Guinea, Mr Xi will also attend the 26th Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting from November 17 to 18, in the capital city of Port Moresby.
Mr Xi will deliver a keynote speech at the APEC CEO summit, give an important speech at the informal meeting of leaders, attend a lunch meeting and the dialogue between APEC leaders and representatives of the APEC Business Advisory Council, and meet leaders of other APEC economies, said Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun. The leaders will have discussions on topics including regional economic integration, digital economy, connectivity, as well as sustainable and inclusive growth, Mr Zhang said.
Mr Zhang voiced China’s hope that the Port Moresby APEC meeting will propel the building of an open economy and safeguard the correct direction of Asia-Pacific future development
“China will work with all parties to safeguard the rule-based multilateral trading system, and push for the building of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP),” Mr Zhang promised.
China supports the APEC members’ efforts in making plans to accelerate digital economy cooperation, Mr Zhang said, adding that a vision on their co-operation as a whole after 2020 is also necessary. On the economic and trade front, Assistant Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said at the press briefing that the APEC meeting is expected to push for economic and trade connectivity and deepen the co-operation on regional economic integration.