BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Friday after his state visit to Pakistan and attendance at the Asian-African Summit and activities commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference in Indonesia.
The April 20-24 tour is a successful practice of the concepts of the community of common destiny in China's neighborhood and the new-type international relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters upon the conclusion of Xi's first overseas trip this year.
The president's travel to Pakistan and Indonesia featured both bilateral and multilateral relations, encompassing politics and economics, and involving both neighborhood and global diplomacy, Wang added.
The Pakistan visit was aimed at consolidating the China-Pakistan traditional friendship and deepening pragmatic cooperation, so as to lift the bilateral ties to a new level and enrich the connotation of the community of common destiny between the two nations, according to him.
The trip to Indonesia is meant to revitalize the Bandung Spirit, enhance solidarity and collaboration between China and other developing countries and promote the construction of the new-type international relations of win-win cooperation, he said.
During the two-nation tour packed with various bilateral and multilateral activities, Xi reached out to all social circles of the places he visited, delivered a series of important policy speeches, and presented a slew of new initiatives and measures, Wang said.
The president's open, inclusive, humble and generous diplomatic style, as well as the multi-facet success achieved during the trip, won praises both at home and abroad, he added.
ELEVATING CHINA-PAKISTAN RELATIONS
The two-day state visit to Pakistan, the first leg of Xi's first overseas tour this year, testifies to the importance of the China-Pakistan relationship, Wang said.
The Chinese side highly values its relationship with Pakistan, and has always placed the relationship on a priority position in its foreign policy agenda and viewed the South Asian country as an "iron friend," he said. [ During the trip, Xi held in-depth exchange of views with Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and leaders from the parliament, military force and major parties, which played a leading role in developing bilateral relations.
First, the will to develop bilateral relations has become more firm. According to the minister, leaders of the two countries agreed to lift China-Pakistan relations to an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, highlighting the all-weather friendship and all-dimensional cooperation between the two countries.
The elevation, he said, also showed the unique relations between China and Pakistan featured by particularity, persistence and stability.
Secondly, the foundation of China-Pakistan strategic mutual trust has become more solid. The two countries have further enhanced strategic communication and coordination, Wang said.
China supports Pakistan in joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a full member and both sides are willing to beef up cooperation on Afghanistan issue to push the peace and reconciliation process in the country.
Thirdly, the China-Pakistan practical cooperation has become more comprehensive. Wang said that Xi's fruitful visit has pushed forward economic and security cooperation between China and Pakistan.
Both sides agreed to form a '1+4' cooperation structure with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor at the center and the Gwadar Port, transport infrastructure, energy and industrial cooperation being the four key areas.
Two countries signed over 50 cooperation deals and set the target of lifting bilateral trade to 20 billion U.S. dollars in three years, up from the current 16 billion dollars.
On security cooperation, Wang said that the two countries agreed to continue strengthening anti-terror and defense cooperation to join hands to fight terrorism and safeguard security interests of the two nations.
According to Pakistani media, Xi's visit is conducive to bilateral ties and is a crucial one for the country, the minister said.
Fourthly, the belt connecting the Chinese and Pakistani people has become stronger. Wang said that during the visit, Xi stressed both countries have the responsibility to maintain, consolidate, and develop China-Pakistan traditional friendship so as to carry it on from generation to generation.
This year marks the China-Pakistan Year of Friendly Exchanges, the minister said, adding that China announced to provide 2,000 training opportunities to the neighboring country in a bid to set a good example for exchanges and cooperation between countries of different civilizations.
Wang said that Xi's trip to Pakistan is like a visit to the home of own brother and became a great event of the whole country.
The Chinese delegation received warm welcome in Pakistan, which fully showed the China-Pakistan friendship is "higher than mountains, deeper than oceans, stronger than steel and sweeter than honey."
Wang said that Xi's visit to Pakistan has set up many records in China-Pakistan ties, marking a milestone in the history of developing relations between the two countries.
EXPANDING ASIA-AFRICA COOPERATION
China made indispensable and important contributions to the 1955 Bandung Conference which heralded an era of unity and cooperation between Asia and Africa, and among developing countries, said the Chinese foreign minister.
It is of great practical significance that six decades later, Asian and African leaders gathered in Indonesia for a summit, under the theme "Strengthening South-South Cooperation to Promote World Peace and Prosperity," to hammer out ways to carry forward the Bandung Spirit of unity, friendship and cooperation, he said.
The Chinese president made a keynote speech at the summit and expounded China's ideas, thoughts and ways to carry forward the Bandung Spirit and promote cooperation between Asia and Africa.
Xi called for carrying forward the Bandung Spirit, building the new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at the core, promoting the construction of a community of common destiny for all mankind, and bringing more benefits to the Asian and African people, as well as people from other countries and regions.
Xi's speech has injected fresh vigor to the Bandung Spirit, Wang said.
Six decades after the landmark conference, the two continents face new opportunities, as well as challenges. It is the common aspiration of all Asian and African countries to cooperate and seek common development, Wang said.
Xi stressed China's staunch will to boost Asia-Africa cooperation, pledging zero tariffs for 97 percent of goods exported to China from the least developed nations with diplomatic ties to China, assistance for developing countries without any political string attached, and free training for 100,000 people from developing countries, among others.
Participants at the summit said that the down-to-earth proposals by the Chinese side will boost win-win cooperation between China and other Asian as well as African countries, and further the development of the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership.
Six decades after the Bandung Conference, peace, development, cooperation and win-win results have become an ever stronger trend of the international order and structure.
Xi called for deepening Asia-Africa cooperation, dovetailing their respective developing strategies, beefing up inter-connectivity in infrastructure construction, turning economic complementarity into development drive and building a new cooperation pattern featuring broad spheres, multiple layers and all dimensions.
Xi also called for expanding South-South Cooperation to strengthen cooperation between countries in Asia and Africa and countries in Latin America and South Pacific region, and improving the mechanism of South-South cooperation to increase the representative and say of developing countries in international system.
Xi called for promoting South-North Cooperation, narrowing their gap, building the new type of global development partnership of balance and equality, and promoting the construction of international economic and financial system of fair, justice, inclusiveness and order.
Xi's remarks provided strategic guidance for the construction of the new type of international relations with win-win cooperation and the core, and have positive impact on the transform of international structure, according to Wang.
The speech by the Chinese president was well received by participants as well as world media. China's proposals and propositions were reflected by the documents published at the Asia-Africa summit, Wang said.
Wang described the summit as an important platform for China to deepen bilateral ties with other Asian and African countries, where Xi met with leaders of Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Iran and Cambodia, among others.
Xi and his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, agreed to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between their countries. The two leaders witnessed the signing of cooperative document on a high-speech railway project.
Xi and Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe agreed to implement existing consensus and grasp the opportunity of the upcoming sixth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Zimbabwe, as well as China and Africa as a whole.
When meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Xi stressed the need to strictly follow the spirit of the four political documents reached between them, so as to ensure the bilateral relations develop on a right track.
Xi voiced the hopes that the Japanese side will seriously treat the concerns of its Asian neighbors and send out positive signals on the history issue.
EMBODYING CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY OF COMMON DESTINY
During the trip, Xi gave a further explanation of the concept of constructing a community of common destiny for all mankind, an initiative he raised at the recent Boao Forum of Asia. He also called for concrete efforts to achieve that goal, Wang said.
On various occasions, the president has reaffirmed that China will stick to a peaceful development path and that the Chinese dream conforms with the aspirations of all nations in the world. China is willing to work with relevant sides to advance the initiatives of the "Belt and Road", the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund.
Based on an organic convergence of the concept of community of common destiny, Bandung Spirit and the "agree to differ" principle, Xi called for mutual respect, equal treatment, win-win cooperation, common development and common security among the world's nations, as well as compatibility and mutual-learning between different civilizations.
His state visit to Pakistan not only strengthened the bilateral ties, but also created a good example for promoting the inter-connectivity in China's neighborhood and building the community of common destiny in Asia.
Xi's emphasis on the open and win-win nature of "Belt and Road" initiative and Asia-Africa cooperation reflects China's new diplomatic concept of win-win cooperation and displays Beijing's open and inclusive foreign policy demeanor.
By cementing solid traditional bond, promoting the the grand "Belt and Road" initiative, and pointing out promising prospects of win-win result, Xi further consolidated ties with China's neighbors and other developing countries.
Wang said if the Pakistan visit could be compared to a "duet" of advancing the China-Pakistan community of common destiny, Xi's attendance at the Asian-African Summit and other commemorative activities in Indonesia could be the start of a "full orchestra" for building the community of common destiny for all mankind with broad and lasting influence.
Encompassing China's policies toward its neighbors, Asia, Africa and the whole world, and promoting the concepts of the community of common destiny, the "Belt and Road", as well as unity and cooperation among developing nations, the two-nation trip was another important action in expanding China's diplomatic layout, which will leave a deep imprint in history, he added.
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