Analysis
BEIJING – President Xi Jinping met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in three separate meetings in Beijing on Friday.
The meetings, all on the same day, together with a series of recent diplomatic actions taken by China, demonstrate to the world that China is committed to advancing world peace and development, and is injecting more certainty into a world of changes and turbulence.
NEW CHAPTER IN BILATERAL TIES
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership. During Prime Minister Anwar’s visit, the two sides reached a consensus on building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, “which will surely open a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations,” Xi said.
This was Anwar’s first visit to China since he took office. “The most important outcome of this visit is that the two leaders agreed to build a China-Malaysia community with a shared future,” Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said during a briefing on the meeting.
Of the Southeast Asian countries, Singapore has been the most involved in China’s reform and opening-up and its interests are most closely integrated with China. During Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit, the two sides elevated bilateral ties to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership.
Hailing China and Singapore as important partners of cooperation, Xi said the bilateral relationship is forward-looking, strategic and demonstrative.
Xi pointed out that China is ready to strengthen strategic communication with the Singaporean side, deepen strategic alignment and make “high quality” the most distinct feature of China-Singapore cooperation.
Lee expressed strong confidence in the resilience of the Chinese economy, and said he believes the economy will continue to grow in a sound way, adding that Singapore and other neighboring countries look forward to further deepening economic cooperation with China.
REGIONAL-LEVEL COOPERATION
In President Xi’s meetings with the three foreign leaders, regional cooperation was an important topic.
Spain will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of this year. When meeting with Sánchez, Xi expressed the hope that Spain would play a positive role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between China and the EU.
“The sound development of China-EU relations requires the EU to uphold strategic independence,” Xi said, adding that both sides should be partners on the road to modernization and good friends that address global challenges together.
Malaysia and Singapore are neighboring countries of China as well as important member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). When meeting with Anwar, Xi said China is ready to work with Malaysia to promote Asian civilizations, uphold strategic independence and the original aspiration of East Asia cooperation, support ASEAN centrality, firmly reject the Cold War mentality and camp confrontation, and jointly build a common home.
Over the years, Asia has maintained a sound momentum of overall peace and stability, rapid development and overall improvement. Asian countries should cherish and maintain the hard-won sound momentum of development in the region, and jointly safeguard the peace dividend of the region, Xi added.
“No country should be allowed to deprive the people of Asia of their right to pursue a better and happier life,” said Xi.
GLOBAL ROLE IN WORLD PEACE, DEVELOPMENT
The three foreign leaders flew to Beijing and met with Xi after attending the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 in Hainan province, a major diplomatic event of the month drawing global attention.
On March 15, Xi attended the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting, where he proposed the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), another international public good contributed by China to the world besides the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI). President Xi also paid a state visit to Russia from March 20 to 22, regarded as a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.
Also in March, China successfully brokered the resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and held the China Development Forum 2023 as well as the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023. These events have drawn to China a large number of foreign leaders, entrepreneurs, scholars and representatives of international organizations.
The facts have shown that the better China develops, the more capable it is of sharing development opportunities with the world and making greater contributions.
Regarding the topic of peace and development, Sánchez told Xi that Spain speaks positively of the document on China’s position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and appreciates China’s constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis.
In his meeting with Xi, Anwar said China had successfully facilitated Saudi Arabia-Iran talks in Beijing, which once again demonstrates China’s constructive role in promoting peace. Hailing Xi as a great statesman with global influence, Anwar said that Xi has not only changed the historical course of China but also brought hope for world peace and development.
Lee said that Singapore believes that all countries should respect each other, coexist in peace, pursue mutually beneficial cooperation, avoid conflicts and jointly respond to risks and challenges, in line with the idea of a new type of international relations championed by China.
“In the face of the current volatility of the international landscape, all sides have expressed the common wish for cooperation and dialogue and working for win-win results,” said Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li when briefing journalists on the meeting between Xi and Sánchez, adding that a few counter-currents cannot stop the mainstream of aspiration for dialogue and cooperation.
– Xinhua, MPD
President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. – Xinhua
President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Beijing on Friday. – Xinhua
President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Beijing on Friday. – Xinhua
