Xi talks of peace, openness, common development

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2013 in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, April 7, 2013. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei).

President Xi Jinping said China will make contributions toward peace and common development in Asia and the world at an international forum that opened on Sunday.

As the world's largest developing country, China will stick to peaceful development and vigorously promote prosperity in both Asia and the world, Xi said when delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2013 in Boao, a coastal town in south China's Hainan Province.

"Countries, whether big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, should all contribute their share in maintaining and enhancing peace," Xi said.

No one should be allowed to throw a region into chaos for selfish gains, he said.

Xi pledged that China's development will bring even greater benefits to the rest of the world. "The more China grows, the more development opportunities it will create for the rest of Asia and the world."

In the coming five years, the country's imports will reach about 10 trillion U.S. dollars and its outbound investment will reach 500 billion dollars, according to the president. Its number of outbound tourists may exceed 400 million.

Xi also said China will continue to properly handle differences and frictions with relevant nations.

While upholding its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, China will maintain good relations with its neighbors, as well as maintain overall peace and stability in the region, he said.

This marked Xi's first appearance at a multilateral diplomatic meeting in China since he was elected president in March. He recently completed his first foreign tour as China's president, having visited Russia, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of the Congo, and he attended the fifth BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa.

In a group interview held with reporters from BRICS countries before the visit, Xi said China will unswervingly follow a path of peaceful development.

When meeting with foreign experts in December, he also stated that China will never pursue hegemony or expansionism.

Xi's speech demonstrates an overlap in the "Chinese dream" of national rejuvenation and the global goals of peace and prosperity, said Wang Yizhou, deputy dean of the school of International Relations under Peking University.

"China is contributing to building a platform for cooperation, rather than undercutting others' efforts to develop," he said, adding that the establishment of mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the free trade area launched by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has played an important role in maintaining peace and development.

"China is seeking a peaceful environment to develop itself, and it is safeguarding world peace through its own development. The sides are complementary," Wang said.

Vuk Jeremic, president of the United Nations General Assembly, said in his speech delivered at the same ceremony that the world should cultivate the virtue of benevolence in international relations.

The key to China's endurance can be found in the teachings of Confucius, who wrote of the virtue of benevolence as a sincere consideration for fellow human beings and a sense of reverence and compassion based on the equal dignity of each member in a community of shared values, he said.

As President Xi said, the world is far from peaceful. Hot spot issues such as tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the crisis in Syria and the Iranian nuclear issue, as well as non-traditional threats regarding energy and environmental issues, still exist, said Yang Bojiang, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"Although China advocates that neighbors wish each other well just as loved ones do to each other, some countries are not showing clear political and strategic road maps, regardless of the interests of other countries, and they are bringing uncertainties to regional peace and stability," Yang said.

Experts said Xi's speech suggests that China will not compromise on its core interests regarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, but the country will work to resolve differences and frictions through dialogue.

"China will continue to act as 'an anchor of peace' in the international arena," Wang said.

Sense of global community

As the leader of the world's second-largest economy, Xi reiterated his vision of an international community in which all members shares the same fate and can stick together in times of difficulty.

Xi said the global village should be a stage for common development, rather than "an arena where gladiators fight each other," he said.

Xi's comments were echoed by International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, who said all countries and regions should have a greater sense of responsibility for the consequences of their policies for their own nations and regions, as well as for the rest of the world.

Lagarde urged re-accelerating the international cooperation process, warning that compared to the beginning of the global financial crisis, the desire to cooperate has waned.

Xi also called for openness and inclusiveness to enhance common development in Asia and other regions.

In the past 10 years, trade within Asia has increased from 800 billion U.S. dollars to 3 trillion U.S. dollars, while Asian trade with other regions has grown from 1.5 trillion to 4.8 trillion U.S. dollars.

"This shows that cooperation in Asia is open and goes hand-in-hand with Asia's cooperation with other regions," Xi said. "Non-Asian countries should respect Asia's diversity and its long-standing tradition of cooperation."

**Releasing dynamics **

In his speech, Xi called for Asian countries to better cooperate and explore development paths suited to their national conditions.

He reminded countries that the global economy has entered a period of profound readjustment and its recovery remains elusive. The international financial sector is fraught with risk and protectionism is on the rise.

While emerging as an important engine driving world economic recovery and growth, the continent needs to transform and upgrade its development model, adjust its economic structure, make development more cost-effective and make life better for its people, he said.

Sustaining development is still of paramount importance to Asia, because development is the key to solving the major problems and difficulties it faces, he said.

China will increase connectivity with its neighbors through various means, including building a regional financing platform and advancing economic integration within Asia, he said.

The president also pledged that China will promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, step up bilateral investment and explore new areas of cooperation with other countries.

As a non-governmental and non-profit international organization founded in 2001, the BFA works to promote regional economic integration and bring Asian countries closer to their development goals.

The largest forum to be held in the event's history, the 2013 forum is being held under the theme of "Asia Seeking Development for All: Restructuring, Responsibility and Cooperation," and has attracted more than 2,500 people from around the globe.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the forum reflects changes in the region and demonstrates the enduring significance of regional growth and security.

"For Australians, the Boao Forum is also a particularly significant symbol of the role we seek to play in the region," she said.

In addition to Gillard, political leaders attending this year's event included Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Myanmar President U Thein Sein, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala Tasso, Zambian President Michael Chilufya Sata, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Algerian Speaker of the Council of the Nation Abdelkader Bensalah and Chairman of the State Great Hural of Mongolia Zandaakhuu Enkhbold.