Chinese President Delivers Speech in TurkeyVisiting Chinese President Jiang Zemin delivered a speech Wednesday on the Sino-Turkish relations, the international situation, domestic affairs and other issues at a banquet held in his honour by his Turkish counterpart Suleyman Demirel.On the Sino-Turkish relations, Jiang said the friendship between the two peoples dates back to ancient times, with the evidence of the world-known "Silk Road" linking China and the Asia Minor peninsular more than 2000 years ago. Through this ancient road, he added, the forefathers of the two peoples made extensive exchanges and promoted, together with other nations, trade and the communication of civilizations of the East and West. The exquisite porcelain which was made in various dynasties in ancient China and is now in store in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul bear vivid testimony to the lasting friendship between the two peoples, Jiang said. Jiang also hailed the remarkable achievements made by the Turkish people, as reflected in continuous social advancement and rapid economic development, adding Turkey has become a country that attracts the attention of the world community. The Chinese president said it is of vital importance for China and Turkey, located respectively at the east and west ends of the Asian continent, to develop a new relationship of cooperation and partnership. Touching upon the world affairs, Jiang said there is a general trend of tension-easing in the international situation, but the world is far from being tranquil. He stressed that maintaining the world peace and promoting common development is the theme of the present time and the universal aspiration of the world people. Jiang said that on one hand, a lasting international peaceful environment is necessary for China, which is now pursuing reforms and opening up to the outside world and pushing forward the modernization drive, on the other hand, the world peace and development also necessitate the stability and development in China. China, which follows the foreign policy of peace and independence, is a major force in maintaining the world peace and stability, the Chinese president said. On domestic affairs, Jiang said the 56 nationalities in China have forged solid links in which they learn from each other, depend on each other, help each other and promote the benefits of each other. Since the ancient times, Jiang said, the different nationalities in China, who have displayed an immense cohesion and a longstanding tradition of patriotism, have been of one heart in founding and building their country. He said the cultures and traditions of minorities have been held on respect and protection and each minority can keep and develop its own culture. Recently, he said, China has embarked on a strategic mission of developing the west region of the country, partly in a bid to accelerate the economic, social and cultural development in the minorities areas there. He said that China, where many religions such as Taoism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity are in existence, has adopted the policy of respecting and protecting the freedom of religious beliefs, followed the principle of separating religion from political power and education. Jiang stressed that the country protects normal religious activities and the legitimate rights of religious groups, with the different religions sharing equal status and in peaceful co- existence, and religious believers and non-believers respecting each other and living in unity and harmony. As there are nearly 200 countries and regions, more than 2,500 nationalities as well as many religions in the world, Jiang said, proper handling of the ethnic and religious issues is of vital significance to maintaining world peace and stability. Jiang said that as the world is colorful, the varieties and disparities among different nationalities, the religions and the civilizations should be respected. In dealing with their mutual relations, he said that tolerance, communication, dialog and co-existence should be advocated while discrimination, repellence, confrontation and conflicts be opposed. On the basis of mutual respect, equality and the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences, the positive sides of all the civilizations should be given full play to boost incessant development of the human society and achieve the common progress of all countries and peoples on earth. Jiang said that throughout the ages, the mutual discrimination, repellence, confrontation and conflicts among the countries and peoples with different religious beliefs and ethnics, not only inflict damages and disasters on the related countries and peoples, but also undermine the stability, tranquility and development in many regions and the world as a whole. The international community should bear in mind these lessons, he stressed, saying the overweening arrogance, and the agitation of national split and hatred among different ethnics go against the historical trend and harm the lofty cause of peace and development in the world. Jiang also attached importance to adhering to and reinforcing the common understanding between China and Turkey on safeguarding each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity and ethnic unity. In the 20th century, both China and Turkey experienced remarkable changes. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Turkey, the two peoples, in line with the conditions of their own countries, have gone all out and worked hard to score remarkable achievements, Jiang said. Jiang said, China's economy has been growing at an annual average of 7.7 percent for the past 50 years while Turkey's comprehensive national strength has ranked the 16th in the world. This, he added, testifies that the peoples of ancient nations certainly can make continuous progress in their development, so long as they give active play to their profound cultural accumulation and tradition of braveness and hard-working, and absorb the latest achievements in the scientific and cultural fields. |
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