China and Indonesia should become strategic partners and join hands to
safeguard peace and stability in East Asia.
Today's world, especially the
Asia-Pacific region, is undergoing complex and profound changes. Under the
impact of the international financial crisis, world economic growth has slowed
down and the pace of growth in major economies is sliding. On the contrary, the
Asia-Pacific region, maintaining a good momentum of overall growth, has been
increasingly turning into an important engine propelling the world economic
growth and one of the most dynamic regions with great potential.
Western developed countries,
generally optimistic about the prospect of development in Asia-Pacific, are
vying with each other for strengthening their cooperation with Asia-Pacific
countries. Out of its global strategic and domestic necessities, the United
States has been striking a high-sounding note of "returning to the
Asia-Pacific region". All these have brought about both rare opportunities
and new complex factors to the Asia-Pacific situation and East Asian
cooperation.
China-Indonesian relationship is
now at a new starting point. During Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono's visit to China last March, the two sides issued a joint
declaration, pointing out the direction for deepening the strategic
partnership. Recently, President Hu Jintao and Yudhoyono held bilateral talks
on the sidelines of the APEC meeting hosted by Russia and reached consensus on
many important issues. With similar basic national conditions, close
development characteristics and strong economic complementarity, China and
Indonesia have a broad space for cooperation. In the perspective of
multilateral cooperation, the two countries are both members of the Group of
20, sharing identical or similar views on many international and regional
issues.
Therefore, China and Indonesia
have tremendous potential in bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The
friendly cooperation between China, the largest developing country in the
world, and Indonesia, the largest economy in ASEAN, has far exceeded the realm
of bilateral relationship and is of great significance for pushing forward the
process of cooperation in East Asia and achieving lasting peace, stability and
prosperity in Asia-Pacific and in the world at large. China attaches great importance
to Indonesia's constructive role in international and regional affairs.
As a co-founder and largest
member of ASEAN, Indonesia has played key roles on many important occasions in
the growth of ASEAN and has made outstanding contributions to ASEAN's strength
building.
What's more, it has played a
unique role in the development of ASEAN-China relationship.
ASEAN, as one of the most
important regional cooperation organizations in Asia, has made significant
contributions to promoting regional peace and cooperation over the years. As
ASEAN's good neighbor, good friend and good partner, China heartily rejoices
over ASEAN's achievements and is confident of ASEAN's future growth.
China-ASEAN friendly cooperation is blessed with unique advantages in favorable
objective and subjective factors for success. Attaching great importance to its
relations with ASEAN, China is dedicated to pushing forward good-neighborly,
friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation and to supporting ASEAN's leading
role in East Asian cooperation.
Under the circumstances of the
continuing deep-rooted impacts of the international financial crisis, China and
ASEAN share common interests in and responsibilities for safeguarding regional
peace and stability and maintaining Asia's development momentum. The two sides
should strengthen communication and achieve a win-win outcome in the spirit of
mutual respect and trust and in light of strategic and long-term perspective.
As for China, the Asia-Pacific
region is an important platform for it to achieve peaceful development.
Persisting in peaceful development and never seeking hegemony are China's
fundamental national policies and strategic option. In the seven voyages to the
Western Seas, what Zheng He took with him were not war or colonial rule, but
porcelains, silk and tea. The people in Southeast Asia still praise this
emissary of peace and friendship.
In reality, the more China
develops the more it needs a peaceful and stable international environment for
external safeguards. Win-win cooperation and common development constitute the
talisman for the success of China's great cause of reform and opening-up. It
will be China's long-term and established principle to pursue the path of
peaceful development and the regional foreign policy of good-neighborliness and
friendship.
China has always pursued the
policy of fostering friendship and partnership with neighboring countries. By
putting into practice with concrete deeds the Asian Spirit of "making
ceaseless self-improvement, exerting pioneering efforts, opening up and being
tolerant", China has created tangible benefits not only for itself but
also for other countries in the region. This is a self-evident fact.
Concerning the artificially
heated-up South China Sea issue at present, China has, as usual, adopted the
same kind of peaceful and responsible position. A certain extraterritorial
power has attempted to get involved in the South China Sea disputes under the
pretext of "freedom of navigation". A few claimants to the South China
Sea have also, in overt or covert ways, invited extraterritorial countries to
get involved in this issue, which China opposes.
Disputes related to the South
China Sea are very complicated and sensitive. China has always stood for
settlement by countries concerned on the basis of respecting historical facts
and international laws through direct and friendly consultation and
negotiations.
Since China and Vietnam have
already resolved the delimitation of boundaries on land and in the Beibu Gulf
through diplomatic negotiations, why can't they resolve other difficult
problems through diplomatic negotiations?
Pending the settlement of
relevant disputes, China has always been devoted to pushing for "shelving
differences and seeking joint development" and building the South China
Sea into a sea of peace, a sea of friendship and a sea of cooperation, because
China is fully aware that, without regional peace and stability, economic
development and social progress would be merely fond wishes.
More than half a century ago, Premier
Zhou Enlai, founder and the first honorary president of the Chinese People's
Institute of Foreign Affairs, representing New China, arrived in Indonesia
after overcoming various difficulties and initiated the everlasting
"Bandung Spirit" together with leaders of Asian and African
countries. "Seeking common ground while reserving differences, peaceful
co-existence and seeking cooperation", the core of "Bandung
Spirit", has continued to be the guide of conduct for China to correctly
handle state-to-state relations.
Today, we are witnessing the
sweeping rise of an open, tolerant and dynamic new Asia. China and Indonesia
are important forces propelling this epoch-making change. I firmly believe
that, along with the ever-deepening bilateral cooperation, China-Indonesian
strategic partnership will greet an even more splendid future.
Yang Wenchang
The author is president of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign
Affairs.
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