Developing contacts with political parties in various Asian countries has always been the focus of the Communist Party of China's (CPC's) foreign relations. In recent years, centered around the main themes of peace and development of the times, the CPC has adhered to the four principles of independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs and, in the spirit of seeking friendship and cooperation in disregard of ideological differences, has actively carried out exchange and cooperation with political parties and political organizations in various Asian countries. At present, the CPC has established and maintained different forms of links with over 100 political parties of 34 countries in the Asian region. A new situation in regard to work with neighboring political parties has basically taken shape, which is focused on the main political parties in neighboring countries, is aimed at promoting an all-round development of state-to-state relations and taking the exchange of party and state administration experiences and the quest of peace, development and cooperation as its main contents.

I.

Giving play to the unique role of high-level contacts between political parties, taking an overall and strategic grasp of the orientation of development of inter-state relations, and propelling the sound and stable development of inter-state relations.

Developing high-level contacts with political parties in various Asian countries holds an important place in the CPC's association with neighboring political parties. In recent years, our Party leaders each year have to meet with many party delegations and statesmen from Asian countries, including large numbers of party chiefs and general secretaries. Meanwhile, our Party leaders each year lead delegations to visit some Asian countries, where they meet with statesmen and party leaders. Through these high-level inter-party contacts, leaders of both sides exchanged opinions on questions of common concern, tried to reach consensus, grasped with foresight and handled some major issues existing in state-to-state ties, pointing out the direction for developing inter-state relations. For example, when a meeting was held between the general secretaries of the Chinese and Vietnamese parties at the turn of the century, the two leaders not only established the principles known as "long-term stability, looking forward to the future, good neighborliness and friendship, all-round cooperation", but also clearly set a timetable for solving the boundary question of the two sides, thus laying a foundation for the two countries to bring their friendly ties into a new stage geared to the 21st century.

Party leaders of some Asian countries also hold that close contacts and good relations between ranking Party leaders help promote friendly cooperation between nations in various fields and help bring the stands of various countries on many important issues closer to each other. Apparently, inter-party relations, particularly high-level inter-party contacts, help the two sides to grasp and handle major issues in inter-state relations from an overall and strategic perspective, which plays a unique and irreplaceable role in consolidating and developing inter-state ties.

II.

Extensive inter-party exchange and cooperation play an important role in bringing China's good-neighborly and friendly ties with surrounding countries into a new stage of all-round development.

Strengthening good-neighborly and friendly ties with surrounding countries is one of the important goals of China's diplomatic work in the new century. In recent years, the CPC has established friendly relations with almost all the main political parties of surrounding countries in a bid to carry out its peripheral diplomatic principle - "Treating neighbors with good will, coexisting with neighbors as partners".

The CPC's intercourses with the ruling parties of the three socialist countries--Vietnam, DPRK and Laos--are deepening with each passing day, not only high-level contacts are frequent, but friendly exchanges are also developing continuously at various levels and in various fields. This kind of new inter-party relationship facilitates the all-round development of China's relations with Vietnam, DPRK and Laos, and has also made contribution to peace and development in the Asian region. The CPC's relations with the main political parties of Japan, the ROK and Mongolia are developing steadily, inter-party relationship has played a noticeable role in promoting state-to-state ties. At the present time when China-Japan relationship is faced with many new situations, the CPC is maintaining all-round contacts with the main political parties of Japan, and continuously deepening the connotation of political party diplomacy, thus providing an important impetus to continuing the sound and stable development of the relations between the two countries. Along with the advancement of China's friendly, cooperative relations with ASEAN, the CPC's relations with the main political parties of Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines also keep developing. The CPC's ties with the main political parties of various South Asian nations have further expanded, and its contacts with the main political parties of Central and West Asian countries also present a good momentum of development.

In brief, the CPC's extensive inter-party contact and cooperation with neighboring countries have played an important role in enhancing mutual understanding between statesmen and peoples of China and related countries, in expanding consensus, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, science and technology and in pushing China's good-neighborly and friendly ties with surrounding countries into a new stage of full-scale development.

III.

The swap of experiences in running the country and government by making use of the channel of political party diplomacy serves to improve the Party's ruling capability and raise ruling level. In its foreign intercourse, the CPC, based on mutual respect for the characteristics of diversity, attaches great importance to the exchange and study, together with foreign political parties and statesmen, experiences in running the state and administering the government, and to understanding today's world situation and the new situations and new changes in the economy, society, science and technology and other fields of various countries. Through the channel of inter-party contacts, we study the new experiences and new measures of foreign countries in their successful development to enrich our train of thought for development, which provide useful experiences and lessons for us to solve various problems we have encountered in China's reform, opening up and modernization drive. Many political parties of Asian countries also hope to learn from the CPC's general plans and development experiences, and actively join the CPC in carrying out theoretical studies and exchange activities at different levels and in different forms.

The CPC has always attached great importance to its own construction and paid high attention to grasping the law governing the construction of the ruling Party from the general pattern of the world's political and economic development. In recent years, it has always regarded contacts with foreign countries as an important aspect in promoting its own construction and development and paid attention to absorbing political nourishment from the experiences and lessons of some foreign political parties in their rises and falls and successes and failures. Relevant departments have drawn aid from the valuable materials obtained by our Party in its foreign intercourse and conducted extensive studies on the new problems facing the ruling parties of Asian countries and the new measures they have adopted. These theoretical studies closely related to our Party's foreign intercourse have deepened the understanding of the whole Party and the whole society about the changes in the political systems of various countries in Asia and around the whole world and the law governing the rise and decline and success and failure of political parties, and have provided strong intellectual support for our Party to promote theoretical and practical innovation, improve methods of leadership and enhance ruling capability and perfect leading and working systems.

IV.

Taking an active part in multilateral party diplomatic activities to show the CPC's good image of persisting in reform and opening up, keeping pace with the times and devoting its effort to peace and development.

At present, under the background of the daily development of economic globalization and world multi-polarization, multilateral party intercourse has become increasingly active, the trend of regional cooperation strengthened by political parties in various Asian countries has further developed. To adapt itself to this new situation, the CPC has actively participated in multilateral party contacts in the Asian region. In September 2000, the CPC sent delegates to attend the First Asian Political Party International Conference held in Manila, the Philippines; in November 2002, the CPC delegates again attended the Second Asian Political Party International Conference held in Bangkok, Thailand, and made positive contribution to the convocation of the conferences. In addition, the CPC also sends delegates each year to attend the congresses held by friendly political parties of some countries, making full use of such occasions to conduct exchanges with delegates of other friendly political parties. The CPC has repeatedly sponsored and attended different forms of international symposiums. The state-to-state relations between China and various other Asian countries have further developed, the traditional friendship between the people of China and other Asian countries has further consolidated, the burgeoning regional cooperation of Asia has presented a broader prospect. The active role played by the CPC in multilateral Asian party contacts has been fully affirmed by the political parties and people in various Asian countries.

In September this year, in response to the requests of some political parties of Asian countries and the proposal of the Standing Committee of Asian Political Party International Conference, the CPC will host the Third Asian Political Party International Conference. This conference to be held by the CPC for the first time not only is a major move in China's overall diplomacy, but also is a grand event in the political history of Asian parties. By holding this conference, the CPC will present to Asia and the whole world its good image of carrying out reform and opening up, persisting in keeping pace with the times and always devoting its efforts to world peace and common development.

This is an article carried on the 7th page of People's Daily on August 27 and translated by People's Daily Online