Chinese top legislator's Asia-Pacific tour fruitful: official

Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo's four-nation Asia-Pacific tour is fruitful and has achieved substantial results, a senior official said Tuesday.

Wu, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, paid an official good-will visit to Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia from May 17 to 31.

Wu's Asia-Pacific tour is an important diplomatic action by the Chinese leadership this year, said Cao Weizhou, deputy secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee, who was accompanying the Chinese leader on the visit.

The purpose of the visit was to promote mutual trust, broaden consensus and increase cooperation for common development, Cao told reporters.

Wu's visit helped deepen mutual understanding, promote political mutual trust, boost mutually beneficial cooperation and push forward the in-depth development of the relations between China and these countries, Cao said.

The visit has achieved substantial results and is a complete success, he said.

During his stay in these countries, Wu held talks or meetings with their leaders for in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations, trade and economic cooperation, parliamentary exchanges, as well as international and regional issues of common interest, and they reached important consensus, Cao said.

Chairman Wu also had extensive contacts with these countries' political parties, local leaders and personages of various circles. The keynote speeches he made in Singapore and Australia at the forums on closer trade and economic cooperation between China and the two countries, as well as the speech he delivered in Malaysia on China's policy toward Asia all drew applause and favorable comments in these countries, Cao added.

Cao then listed the main achievements of Chairman Wu's visit.

First, political trust between China and these countries has been further enhanced through the visit. Praising China's friendly relations with these countries and the good momentum of development, Wu expressed the Chinese government's readiness to push forward the development of relations with them in an all- round way on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

In response, the leaders of Singapore and Malaysia voiced the hope that the exchanges and cooperation with China in various areas will be expanded steadily so as to bring bilateral relations to a new high. The leaders of Australia and New Zealand, on the other hand, stressed that their countries' relationships with China will enjoy an important place in or will be placed at the core of their foreign relations.

Wu also expounded on China's principled stand on the Taiwan issue, stressing that adherence to the one-China policy constitutes the political foundation of developing state-to-state relations. The leaders of the four countries reiterated their firm commitments to the one-China policy. (more)

Second, the visit boosted China's trade and economic cooperation with the four countries. The leaders of the four countries are agreed that China's economy and those of the countries are highly complementary and have a huge potential of cooperation. The leaders voiced their wish to establish closer, more pragmatic and more productive cooperative ties of mutual benefit with China.

In Australia, Wu put forward proposals for setting up a long- term strategic partnership between the two countries in the energy and mineral resource sectors and the Australian side gave a positive response. Singapore leaders said they would seize the opportunities and vigorously expand cooperation with China.

New Zealand leaders expressed their readiness to join hands with China to explore new areas of cooperation with China, while Malaysian leaders said they would do their utmost to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China.

Third, the exchanges between China's NPC and the parliaments of these countries have been further strengthened through the visit. Chairman Wu stressed the unique role of legislative bodies in promoting the comprehensive development of state-to-state relationships and expressed the NPC's readiness to strengthen the exchanges between leaders of the parliaments, the ad hoc committees, amity groups, working bodies and young parliamentarians.

Wu also suggested that the NPC and the parliaments of the four countries maintain coordination and cooperation in international and regional parliamentary organizations. These countries' parliament leaders responded positively, saying they are ready for increased exchange and cooperation with China's NPC.

Fourth, Chairman Wu had in-depth exchanges of views with leaders of the four countries on the present international situation, regional cooperation, as well as other major international and regional issues of common concern.

In his speech made in Kuala Lumpur, Wu gave an account of China 's policy toward Asia covering political dialogue, trade and economic cooperation, the multilateral process and regional security.

Wu made it clear that China has been and will always be committed to developing friendly ties of cooperation with other Asian countries, Cao said.

The leaders of the four countries spoke highly of China's positive role in international and regional affairs and pointed out that China and their countries share a broad range of common interests on many major international issues, Cao said.

The leaders all expressed their willingness to strengthen consultation and cooperation with China in international and regional issues in a joint effort for peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, Cao said.

Source: Xinhua