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Full Text of Chinese FM's Speech at the 7th ARF Meeting
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan made a speech at the 7th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Minister Meeting Thursday in Bangkok. The following is the full text of the speech:
Mr. Chairman,
At the turn of the century, the political and security situation in the Asia-Pacific region is undergoing new changes. On the whole, the Asia-Pacific region is continuously moving towards peace and development, and gaining a positive and encouraging momentum. However, some negative factors have also grown, posing challenges to the Asia-Pacific security.
On the one hand, the economy of East Asia is recovering rapidly and promising a good prospect. East Asia's cooperation has made notable progress and is playing a significant role in promoting the regional growth and stability. The friendly ties between Asian countries are growing closer and stronger. The relations between some big countries, having suffered from serious setbacks, are beginning to improve. Dialogue and cooperation have now become a dominant characteristic of the relations between Asian nations.
China and relevant ASEAN members have made positive progress in their efforts to increase trust, dissolve suspicion and settle disputes by peaceful means. China and Vietnam have successfully concluded a treaty on their land border. The historic summit between the north and south of the Korean Peninsula and the signing of the Joint Declaration have reinforced the momentum of relaxation of the situation on the Peninsula, and contributed to peace and stability in Asia-Pacific region.
On the other hand, the Cold-War mentality is still affecting the way some countries perceive world politics and international relations. Bilateral military alliances are consolidating. Multinational military exercises are increasing. Some people are hawking the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) Program against the tide of our times. Such developments are compromising the regional confidence-building efforts and aggravating the instability of the regional security. In the meantime, globalization and the Asian financial crisis repercussions have also adversely affected the Asia-Pacific security. Separatist forces are asserting themselves more aggressively. The rich-poor gap is widening. Ethnic and religious conflicts are cropping up one after another. The traditional and non-traditional security of some countries is now under increasing pressures.
Mr. Chairman,
The Asia-Pacific security situation and its evolution have drawn the attention of the international community. The question before all of us in this region now is how to promote positive factors for the Asian-Pacific security and restrict the negative ones, and how to foster in this region, a security order and model that can help secure an enduring peace in the region.
History is a mirror. The evolution of the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region has not only left us profound lessons, but also offered us a useful inspiration.
First, a long-lasting peace in the Asia-Pacific region hinges on the stability and development of each and every country of the region. The maintenance of national unity, territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty is essential to the security and tranquillity of Asian nations and the region at large. Any attempt to cut the bonds of fraternity of a people, or betray and undermine the unity and territorial integrity of a nation will only lead to tension in the region, and will therefore be firmly opposed by the people throughout the world.
Second, Asia's security also depends on the development of normal, healthy and stable relations between Asian nations. What matters to the Asia-Pacific security is not the change in the balance of strength between countries, but what attitude or policies that countries would adopt to handle their relations with others. Facts have proved time and again that only mutual respect and mutual trust can lead to peaceful coexistence and, hopefully, security in the Asia-Pacific region. Without mutual respect and mutual trust, harmony between countries will be disrupted, and regional stability can hardly be secured. Mutual understanding and mutual trust, and healthy and stable relations between states constitute the political foundation of the Asia-Pacific security and are what we should work to achieve.
Third, the pursuit of most extensive common interests is an important way to maintain the Asia-Pacific security. Countries in the Asia-Pacific vary from one another in terms of national conditions or interests. However, as globalization accelerates, their common interests will increase. For example, they all wish to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation so as to promote economic development, and narrow the North-South gap. They all wish to avoid risks brought about by globalization and reap tangible benefits from the process. Asia-Pacific peace depends on the common progress and prosperity of all countries in the region. Asia-Pacific peace cannot and should not be based on the pursuit of just a few countries' interests or the consolidation of their superiority. Asian nations, having gone through the financial crisis, are deeply aware of this and feel strongly about it.
Fourth, dialogue, cooperation and the approach of seeking common ground while reserving differences are the best way to realize and maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. There are two different voices or propositions as to how we should maintain the Asia-Pacific peace. One is for military build-up and strengthening military alliances. Such policy is far from leaving the historical stage. The other is for promoting dialogue and cooperation, and enhancing understanding and trust. This approach is increasingly popular and striking roots in the hearts of the people. Numerous facts have shown more and more clearly that the former will only reduce trust and cause tensions while the latter can help bridge differences and eliminate obstacles.
Mr. Chairman,
As the biggest inter-governmental forum for security dialogue and cooperation in the region, what role ARF should and will play in regional security is of great interest to all people.
In fact, the ARF clearly defined its functions upon its inception, i.e. the forum is designed to enhance dialogue, increase cooperation, bridge differences, and promote constructive relations between its members. Over the past six years of exploration, the ARF has played a positive role in enhancing dialogue, understanding and cooperation, and has gradually formed an operational mechanism of its own, which features participation on an equal footing, decision by consensus, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and gradual and orderly progress. Such mechanism has made the ARF attractive as ever. Its membership is increasing, and the approach it has initiated is winning increasing support of the people. The Chinese side hereby wishes to extend its sincere congratulations and a warm welcome to the DPRK, which has formally joined the Forum.
As the ARF enters its seventh year, issues such as where it should go and how it should develop are again placed on the Forum's agenda.
For our part, we agree that the ARF should continuously move forward towards its set objectives. We hope that it will, in the light of the region's feature of diversity, further strengthen dialogue, enhance mutual understanding and trust between its members, and help to foster in our region a security mentality and model that confirms to the trend of our times.
The Chinese side agrees to the idea that the ARF should consolidate and deepen the confidence-building measures and, at the same time, explore and discuss the question of preventive diplomacy in the region. Like many of the Forum members, the Chinese side finds it essential for the Forum to reach a consensus first on the concept and principles of preventive diplomacy. In this connection, we should like to point out that preventive diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific region should be meant to promote the establishment and development of sound and stable relations between nations and enhance their political, economic, and security dialogues and cooperation. The Chinese side will adopt a positive attitude towards all efforts that serve this purpose.
Mr. Chairman,
Since we last met at this Forum, China has made new contributions to peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region. We have been vigorously pressing ahead with our reform and opening-up. Our national economy has maintained a fairly rapid growth and taken a favorable and important turn. We have firmly implemented the fundamental principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems" and President Jiang Zemin's eight-point proposal on the question of Taiwan, and worked hard to develop the cross-Straits relations and advance the cause of peaceful reunification of China. We have worked continuously to develop goodneighborly and friendly relations with our surrounding countries, and signed or issued documents on bilateral cooperation oriented towards the 21st century with most of the ASEAN member states. The process of "Shanghai Five", namely, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is moving forward in a sound manner and playing a significant role in promoting regional and world peace and stability. We have actively participated in East Asian cooperation and other regional as well as international cooperation, which has further strengthened the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and other countries in Asia and the world at large. We have always been supportive of the ARF dialogue and cooperation, and actively participated in and successfully implemented a number of CBM Projects.
As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a country in the Asia-Pacific region, China will continue to perform its duty in promoting peace and stability in the region and the world at large. History has and will continue to prove that China is a positive factor and major force in safeguarding peace and promoting development.
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