President
Hu Jintao
said on Friday that Asian and African countries should vigorously
carry forward the Bandung Spirit and strengthen solidarity and
cooperation to bring about a new type of Asian-African strategic
partnership.
Hu made the remarks when delivering a speech at the
Asian-African Summit that opened at Jakarta Convention Center on
Friday.
The two-day meeting, co-hosted by Indonesia and South Africa and
attended by leaders and representatives from more than 100
countries and international organizations, is the first summit
between leaders of the two continents since the 1955 Asian-African
Conference, held in Bandung, Indonesia.
Hu said constructing a long-term, stable and substantive new
form of Asian-African strategic partnership that is responsive to
the changing times was an important issue that demands collective
attention.
The new partnership will focus on three main areas of
cooperation: political solidarity, economic cooperation and
socio-cultural relations.
On the political front, he said, Asian and African countries
should become partners that respect and support each other.
On the economic front, Asian and African nations should become
partners that complement each other with their respective strengths
for all-round benefit, the Chinese president said.
"We should strengthen capacity-building in response to economic
globalization, conduct dialogue on development strategies and learn
from each other for common progress," he added.
On the cultural front, Hu said, Asian and African countries
should form partnerships that draw on each other's strong points,
whilst treating each other with mutual respect and trust. He added
the countries should also engage in dialogue and co-ordinate on
security issues.
Hu reaffirmed that China will steadfastly follow its chosen path
of peaceful development and commit itself to achieving common
development with other countries in Asia and Africa.
Development is the most pressing task for Asian and African
nations, the Chinese president said.
"We must actively promote and improve North-South relations on
the basis of equality and mutual benefit, facilitating North-South
dialogue and cooperation," he said.
China will always be a member of the developing world, and
strengthening solidarity and cooperation with other developing
countries is the cornerstone of China's diplomacy, Hu added.
China has become the fastest growing export market for Asian and
African countries, which make up half the world's land area and
three quarters of the global population.
Last year, China's trade with the rest of Asia and Africa
reached US$462.99 billion, accounting for 40 percent of its total
foreign trade.
Hu had a full schedule of five bilateral meetings on Friday
afternoon, including those with Algerian President Abdelaziz
Bouteflika, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, and King
Gyanendra of Nepal.
It has been reported that the sideline meeting at the summit
between the leaders of China and Japan, proposed by the latter,
could be arranged for Saturday, but no confirmation from the
Chinese Foreign Ministry was received.
When asked about the possibility of holding talks with the
Chinese president, Koizumi told reporters: "the meeting is
friendship further(ed)."
(China Daily April 23, 2005)
