Ten years on, China's neighborhood diplomacy cements bonds, cooperation

BEIJING -- China will continue to follow the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and work with other countries in the region to build an Asian homeland of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty and friendly coexistence, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday.

Xi made the remarks in a message sent to an international symposium to commemorate the 10th anniversary of China's principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in neighborhood diplomacy.

Xi pointed out the basic policy of China's neighborhood diplomacy is to pursue friendship and partnership with its neighbors, and to build an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood.

Over the past decade, China has actively practiced the above-mentioned principle, and developed friendly and cooperative relations with its neighbors in an all-round way. The two sides have continuously enhanced political mutual trust and deepened convergence of interests, thus opening up a bright pathway of good-neighborly friendship and win-win cooperation, said Xi.

He went on to point out that in the new era, China will lend new meaning to the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, promote the Asian values of peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration, and provide new impetus to regional unity, openness and progress.

"We will promote new development of the concepts of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, so that Chinese modernization will bring more benefits to our neighbors," Xi said, adding that China will work to jointly advance Asia's modernization process, and make sure China's high-quality development and a sound neighborhood environment will reinforce and complement each other.

In 2022, China's trade in goods with neighboring countries exceeded $2.17 trillion, up 78 percent from 2012. China took the lead in ratifying the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), enabling and enhancing regional economic integration.

The fruitful cooperation has spurred economic growth, improved people's lives in different countries and injected strong impetus into economic recovery in the region, said participants attending the international symposium.

The four core concepts that China's neighborhood diplomacy rests on are not empty words, but the guiding philosophy that has played a big role in fostering friendly relations between China and regional countries and shaping world dynamics, said Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol at the symposium.

Addressing the symposium, Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said that China will work with regional countries to make Asia a demonstration zone for the Belt and Road cooperation, and a pilot zone for implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

China is committed to deepening friendly cooperation with regional countries guided by the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and contributing more wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future in Asia and for humanity, Wang said.

Austin Ong, research director of the Integrated Development Studies Institute, a think tank in the Philippines, said Xi reaffirmed China's goodwill to neighboring countries and desire for more high-quality cooperation in the future, expressing confidence that China's modernization drive will bring long-term benefits to neighboring countries and boost the existing good neighborliness.

China's neighborhood diplomacy that underscores peace and prosperity resonates in its surrounding countries, which are mainly developing ones. The development of China and that of neighboring countries can complement and reinforce each other, said K. K. Yoganaadan, chargé d'affaires of the Sri Lankan Embassy in China.