Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on President Hu Jintao’s Euro-Asian Tour (05/06/2003)

From May 26 to June 5, 2003, President Hu Jintao paid state visits to Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, attended the third Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), St. Petersburg's tri-centennial celebrations and the informal South-North leaders dialogue meeting in Evian, France.

On the afternoon of June 5, 2003, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing had an interview with correspondents accompanying President Hu Jintao on his just-concluded Euro-Asian tour on Hu’s special plane. Li said that President Hu’s tour, the first since he took office as president, was taken against the backdrop of deep changes in the international situation, the Chinese government and people’s united fight against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and their efforts to promote development. He said that Hu had an extensive contact with people from various circles, took part in activities of rich contents, which included bilateral diplomacy and multi-lateral diplomacy, formal meeting and informal exchanges, and not only touched upon good-neighborly relations but also discussed cooperation between China and other major countries as well as vast developing countries. Li described the tour as a major diplomatic activity that carried out the spirit of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and practiced the important thoughts of “three represents” in the international arena, so the anticipated objectives of this tour were achieved with its far-reaching significance and far-ranging influence.

To be specific, Li said the tour was fruitful mainly in the following five aspects.

First, it has promoted China's good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The three countries paid high attention to Hu’s visits and treated him with warm hospitality and courteous reception. During the visits to the three countries, Hu held respective talks with their presidents, prime ministers and parliament leaders and had an in-depth exchange of views with them on bilateral ties and major international and regional issues, and reached wide consensus. He delivered keynote addresses in the Institute of International Relations in Moscow and in the Mongolian parliament, in which he expounded on China’s policy of developing long-term good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with Russia and Mongolia. His speeches were well received.  He signed joint declarations with the Presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan respectively and issued a joint communiqué after meeting with the Mongolian leader. Hu reiterated that China would like to stick to the guideline of maintaining friendship and partnership with neighbors, and taking over from the past and setting a new course for the future, to promote relations with the three countries to continue good-neighborly friendship for generations. Hu's words were echoed by the leaders of the three countries, who promised they would, as always, give priority to developing ties with China and actively respond to Hu's political proposals of bringing Sino-Russian, Sino-Kazakh and Sino-Mongolian relations to a new high. The Russian side and the Kazak side expressed their willingness to continue developing strategic partnership with China while Mongolia decided to establish the partnership of good-neighborliness and mutual trust with China. The Chinese leader agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, energy, science and technology, humanities, anti-terrorism and international fields, with the Russian and Kazak leaders. The three countries all noted they would firmly support China’s stands on the questions of Taiwan and Tibet, support the Chinese government and people’s efforts to realize national reunification, and were willing to further strengthen cooperation with China in the fight against terrorism.

Leader of the four countries, China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia all agreed that they were important neighbors to each other. Each of them has its own advantages in economic and trade field, and should learn from each other's strong points and offset one's weakness, conduct extensive and in-depth cooperation, transfer its own advantages in resources and market potential to those in economy, and promote common prosperity. President Hu suggested that  every side should take the interests and concerns of other sides into consideration, and take substantial measures to carry out reciprocal and win-win cooperation. Hu also raised suggestions on new channels, fields and measures of expansion of tripartite cooperation, which gained approval and support of the three countries. All of them noted that China was their long-term economic and trade partner of cooperation, and they would like to take substantial steps to implement the agreements of cooperation already reached on and continuously explore new programs for cooperation.

Russian President Putin confirmed that cooperation on energy constituted an important part of Sino-Russian strategic partnership of coordination and extended support to the business circles of both countries on their joint efforts on the major program of building oil pipeline. The related companies of China and Russia signed framework agreements on the oil pipeline, which marked a new step forward on the road of Sino-Russian cooperation on energy.  

China and Kazakhstan signed a cooperation outline from 2003 to 2008 that was of great significance and would guide future bilateral cooperation. China and Mongolia signed an inter-governmental cooperation agreement on economy and technology.

Second, the trip has pushed forward the establishment of the SCO mechanisms and further cemented cooperation in various areas among SCO member states. This was the first time for President Hu to attend the SCO summit, during which he and his five counterparts reached wide consensus on the future direction for the development of the SCO and other major international and regional issues. The leaders signed and approved the Moscow Declaration, ratified nine other legal documents regulating the meeting mechanism of the SCO and the operation of its standing bodies, approved the assumption of Chinese Ambassador Zhang Deguang as the first Secretary-general of SCO and endorsed the logo design of SCO. President Hu held bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan respectively.

The signing of related documents on institutional construction and the approval of SCO logo design expedited the institutionalization and mechanism-building of SCO. The six heads of states gave clear instruction to initiate the Secretariat and a regional anti-terrorism body before January 1, 2004. President Hu announced that the Chinese government would provide an office for the Secretariat.

The summit cemented the down-to-earth cooperation of SCO in all fields. To deliver more fruitful cooperation on security, the summit decided to hold a joint military exercise against terrorism within this year and set hand on the cooperation on anti-drug campaign.

The summit decided to hold the SCO's second meeting of prime ministers in China in the second half of this year to translate a number of tentative ideas for economic cooperation into concrete actions.

With regard to the current intricate international situation, President Hu Jintao called on the parties in the summit to push forward the democratization of the international relations, to respect the authority of the United Nations, to maintain the diversity of the world, and to build up a new security concept based on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination. These contents were included in the declaration of the summit. The summit also further coordinated the six countries' positions on major international issues, made the SCO more influential and bore important meaning for the promotion of the development and construction of SCO.

Third, President Hu's visits have deepened China's friendly ties with the developed countries and developing ones as well. His attendance at the informal South-North leaders’ dialogue meeting in Evian is a great diplomatic effort by the Chinese leader at a time when the international community is facing new challenges in the multi-polarization drive, the world economy remains sluggish, and the gap between the North and the South is widening. China played a constructive role in the meeting and won a lot of praise. To show the importance attached to President Hu’s attendance, the host of the summit President Chirac, took a special trip to welcome Hu at the dock, which was beyond the normal protocol.  

At the meeting, President Hu elaborated China's positions on international development and cooperation and the South-North relations. He pointed out that development holds the key to solving all the conflicts and problems the whole world is facing, and only coordinated, balanced and common development can bring about lasting peace and stability. He stressed the urgency for cooperation between the developed countries and the developing ones, and expressed the hope that all the countries would deepen understanding, trust and cooperation by promoting communications, dialogues and exchanges. He also made a package of concrete proposals for promoting global economic growth, establishing a new international political and economic order and cementing South-North cooperation, all of which were ardently echoed by the participators of the meeting. We have reached the aim of further understanding, promotion of cooperation and consolidation of relations with both developing and developed countries through hard work night and day.

Fourth, President Hu had extensive contacts with leaders from various countries and people from all fields, which promoted exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries in international affairs. During the 10-day trip, President Hu had working meetings with leaders from over 10 countries, including Algeria, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Japan, Malaysia, Switzerland and the United States, and held friendly talks with leaders from some 40 countries, expounding on China's views on the current international situation. It can be said that President Hu was the leader who received most attention and greetings in Moscow, St. Petersberg and Evian. He also had interviews with correspondents from various countries for four times and cordially answered questions raised by Hong Kong correspondents twice.  

Fifth, it has also showcased the image of China's new leadership.　In his contacts with international figures, Hu reiterated on many occasions China's independent foreign policy of peace and the country's determination and confidence to unswervingly take the socialist road with Chinese characteristics. During various contacts, President Hu treated the various parties with sincerity and frankness, not only adhered to the principles of the Chinese side but attended to the concerns of related parties, and stuck the way of convincing people with reasoning while moving people with emotions. Hu briefed honestly friends from all countries on China's fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), noting that the Chinese government had always put the physical health and life security at the first place and the epidemic had been initially contained in China thanks to the government's decisive measures and efforts in prevention and treatment work. Hu noted that the Chinese people have the determination, confidence and capability to win the combat against SARS and are ready to cooperate extensively with the international community in the fields of public health care and epidemic prevention. President Hu also earnestly practiced what he advocated, displayed the keen sense of responsibility, the spirit of seeking for truth and serving the people, and the resolution and capability to steering intricate situation, conquer difficulties and hardships, so as to win popular understanding, respect, support and friendship.

President Hu also squeezed time from his tight schedule to visit the staff members of the Chinese embassies, the Chinese agencies, as well as overseas Chinese students and overseas Chinese in Moscow, St. Petersberg, Lausanne，Astana and Ulaanbaatar. He urged them to study and work hard, while making friends extensively, and they were deeply inspired by Hu’s words. 　

Li concluded by saying that President Hu Jintao’s tour is of great significance for China to enhance friendly ties with related countries and consolidating the mutual understanding and friendship with peoples from all countries, for the SCO to speed up its organizational construction and development and for the establishment of a just and fair international political and economic order. It also helps create advantageous conditions for and inject new vigor to the creation of new situation of diplomatic work and the realization of the grand objective to build a comprehensively well-off society.