China out to make overseas friends

China upholds peaceful development and cooperation to actively advocate a new type of international relations and the push to build a community of shared future for mankind, a senior Chinese official said in Sochi, Russia, on Thursday.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said in a speech during the Valdai Discussion Club that the country will continue its opening-up policy and actively make friends in the international community.

The Valdai Discussion Club, inaugurated in 2004 as an annual event, is named after Lake Valdai in Russia, where the first meeting took place. This year’s session opened on Monday and ended on Thursday.

After delivering a speech at the conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Yang, who is also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy, and the country has made significant achievements in its economy and in the improvement of people’s living standards, Yang said.

It will stage the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai next month, he said.

The six-day expo, which will start on Nov 5, has attracted around 2,800 businesses from more than 130 countries. It will feature forums on a variety of topics and industries, country-themed promotional events and matchmaking sessions for Chinese and foreign companies.

“China will never close its door, and will instead continue international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative with the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration,” Yang said.

He said China calls for strategic, mutual trust among countries, and the solving of disputes through dialogue.

Yang said the Sino-Russian relationship has developed rapidly in the past 20 years to reach a high level, with the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries becoming a model for country-to-country relationships.

He said Russia is a key BRI partner and the two countries will work together to oppose unilateralism. They will both push for regional economic integration, the establishment of an efficient financial cooperation mechanism, and the boosting of sustainable development in the Eurasian region.