Chinese President Makes Speech at Moscow University

Visiting Chinese President Jiang Zemin made a speech at Moscow State University on Tuesday, elaborating on the guidelines and principles for developing Sino- Russian relations in the 21st century.

Jiang said in his speech that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty on good-neighborly friendship and cooperation on Monday, which was a landmark in the history of Sino- Russian relations and will undoubtedly promote the further development of such relations.

He made a four-point proposal for further developing Sino- Russian relations: to strengthen political mutual trust and consolidate the cornerstone of Sino-Russian good-neighborly friendship; to expand mutually beneficial cooperation and reinforce the dynamics of common development; to enhance cultural exchanges and boost the friendship between the two peoples; to deepen bilateral strategic collaboration and make joint efforts towards world peace and development.

During his brief address on the same occasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the historic significance of the friendship and cooperation treaty.

He also paid tribute to Jiang and other Chinese leaders for giving priority to Sino-Russian relations and called for increased cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Proposals for Development of Sino-Russian Relations

Jiang called for ever-growing mutual trust and strengthened strategic cooperation between China and Russia in efforts to further the development of bilateral relations in the new century.

Firstly, political mutual trust should be strengthened so as to consolidate the cornerstone of the good-neighborly relations between the two countries, Jiang said.

"Promises must be kept and action must be resolute," as an old Chinese saying goes, and the same holds true for contacts between states, he said.

A solid and stable relationship of mutual trust between China and Russia serves as the cornerstone of the Sino-Russian good- neighborliness, Jiang said.

The purpose of signing the Sino-Russian good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation is to enhance mutual trust, he said, adding that the accord is oriented towards the future generations of the two countries as well as the new century, and has laid the political foundation for the long-term development of bilateral relations.

"China will, as always, support Russia in its efforts to invigorate its national economy and safeguard its rights and interests," the Chinese president said. "China will never do anything detrimental to the interests of Russia."

Jiang also said he was convinced China will receive the firm support from Russia for its modernization drive and its great cause of the reunification of the motherland.

Secondly, Jiang said, mutually beneficial cooperation should be promoted so as to provide fresh impetus for the common development of China and Russia. Thanks to efforts of both sides, bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade and economy and science and technology has been going on smoothly, which has laid a good foundation for the partnership of strategic cooperation between the two countries.

China and Russia should make fuller use of the advantage of their geographical closeness and economic complementarity and on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit, increase cooperation in the areas of trade and economy, science and technology, energy, transportation, aerospace, and information technology, tapping the potential to the full, Jiang said.

The third point in Jiang's proposal is that cultural exchanges should be further enhanced to promote the friendship between the Chinese and Russian peoples. Enjoying a long history with brilliant cultures, both China and Russia have made great contributions to mankind's civilizations and progress, Jiang said.

Books by Russian writers A. S. Pushkin, Lyev Tolstoy and Peter Ilich Chaikovsky are very familiar to the Chinese people and likewise, works by such great ancient Chinese thinkers as Laozi and Confucius are treasured by the Russian people.

In recent years, the cultural exchanges between China and Russia have helped promote the understanding between the two peoples and boost the development of bilateral ties, said the Chinese president.

"We should widen the channels of Sino-Russian cultural exchanges to make both Russian and Chinese civilizations learn from each other and achieve common progress," Jiang said.

Finally, Jiang proposed that China and Russia deepen bilateral strategic cooperation and make concerted efforts to promote world peace and development.

As permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations, China and Russia are entrusted with the great mission of safeguarding world peace and stability.

"In recent years," Jiang said, "our two countries have worked together and conducted fruitful cooperation in such major issues as defending the authority of the U.N. Security Council, maintaining the global strategic balance and stability, promoting democratization of international relations and resolving conflicts in trouble spots around the world."

In the future, Jiang said, the two countries should further strengthen consultation, dialogue and coordination in international affairs and make joint efforts to build a new world marked by peace, development, democracy and prosperity.

He expressed the belief that in the new century full of hopes, the Sino-Russian partnership of strategic cooperation will bring more benefit to the peoples of the two countries and be conducive to promoting world peace and development.

Treaty Marks Milestone in Sino-Russian Relations

President Jiang said that the Sino-Russian good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation is a milestone in bilateral relations.

The treaty, which summarizes the fundamental guidelines and principles for developing Sino-Russian relations, is a programmatic document guiding the long-term, healthy and steady development of bilateral relations, Jiang said.

"Under the guidance of the treaty, I believe Sino-Russian relations will be developed to a higher level in the new century," he said.

Jiang said the centerpiece of the treaty is to define in a legal form the aspirations of the two peoples to develop good- neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting at any third country.

The treaty was signed by Jiang and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Monday.

Looking back to the history of Sino-Russian relations, Jiang said the relations experienced both alignment and confrontation during the 20th century for historical reasons. However, the two countries forged a new relationship after the Cold War, he said.

Driven by strategic demands of national development in both countries and their common wishes for world development and peace, the leaders of the two countries decided to establish a new-type state-to-state relationship based on the five principles of peaceful co-existence, or mutual respect to sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference into each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful co-existence, and on the basis of non-alignment, non- confrontation and not targeting at any third country.

Under the guidance of the fundamental guidelines and principles, China and Russia have achieved major advancements in developing bilateral relations and have established a strategic cooperative partnership, said the Chinese president.

China and Russia have set up a mechanism of regular meetings between heads of state and government, and the exchange of personnel an different levels has also increased.

The two countries have supported each other in safeguarding their respective sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and have basically solved the border problems left by history, he added.

China and Russia have expanded exchanges and cooperation in economy and trade. In addition, the two countries have pursued effective strategic cooperation in promoting world multi- polarization and safeguarding world peace and stability.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was set up in June by China, Russia and four Central Asian countries, is a perfect example for the maintenance of regional peace and stability, the promotion of a new security concept, new state-to-state relations and new regional cooperation, Jiang said.

Russia is the first leg of Jiang's five-nation tour. He will also go to Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and Malta.

New Security Concept for World Peace

The President called for a new security concept to ensure lasting world peace, stability and prosperity.

Jiang said facts of the past and the present have shown that peace cannot be realized by force, much less by military alliance.

"World peace, stability and prosperity cannot be guaranteed unless the Cold War mentality and the theory that weapons alone decide the outcome of war are discarded and a new security concept with mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation at its core is formed and put into practice by countries and regions in the world," Jiang said.

Any attempt to break the existing global strategic balance by developing sophisticated weapon systems cannot but spark new rounds of arms race and jeopardize world peace. Any attempt to strengthen and expand military alliance cannot but create more destabilizing factors and harm global security, said Jiang.

No country should build its security on the basis of harming the security and interests of other countries, he added.

History tells us that aggression and expansion lead to disasters; peace and development usher in prosperity, he said. All countries, therefore, should embark on the road of peace. Countries of different social systems and ideological backgrounds should seek common ground while reserving differences, live in peace and work together to meet the common challenges facing human survival and development and promote the lofty cause of preserving world peace and development.

Mankind has entered the 21st century. Should the new century be one of universal peace and common development or one beset with conflicts and wide gaps between the rich and the poor? This is a question of vital importance that deserves serious attention of all the peoples of the world and statesmen of vision and responsibility, Jiang said.

"The world needs peace, peoples want cooperation, countries want development and societies want progress. This is the trend of our times," he said.

Generally speaking, the international situation is still moving toward relaxation, economic globalization and multi-polarization of the world are going ahead despite twists and turns, he said. The material and spiritual wealth owned by mankind today is greater in size than ever, and peoples are longing all the more for a peaceful and happier life.

"This has prepared the ground and provided the fundamental driving force for the world to move to a bright future," he noted.

However, Jiang said, there are grave challenges facing world peace and development. The democratization of international relations is far from being realized; the unjust and unfair world political and economic orders remain unchanged; the gaps between the South and the North in development levels and wealth distribution are widening; conflicts for racial and religious reasons are continuing.

Peace and development complement each other, Jiang said. World peace is the prerequisite of common development of countries; while common development in turn provides a solid foundation for world peace.

Developed countries should help in real earnest developing countries with their economic and cultural development and their efforts to shake off poverty and backwardness while developing countries should seize the opportunity to boost their economic and cultural development, Jiang said.

"Only in this way can common development and prosperity of all countries be materialized at a quicker pace," he said.

Jiang arrived in Moscow on Sunday for a four-day state visit to Russia.

Russia is the first leg of Jiang's five-nation tour. He will also visit Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and Malta.

China's Development Needs Peaceful Environment

Jiang said that China's development requires a long- term favorable regional and international environment and that China attaches importance to strengthening good relations with its neighbors.

He said China's security and construction need cooperation and support from all neighboring countries. China's growth and stability will also benefit peace and progress in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large.

China has entered a new period of full-scale social and economic construction, he said. "To build China into a modern, prosperous, strong, democratic and culturally advanced socialist country by the middle of the century and to rejuvenate the Chinese nation is our target."

The Chinese Communist Party, as always earnestly representing the development requirements of China's advanced social productive forces, the progressive course of China's advanced culture and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people, is working diligently toward this end, he said.

To meet the target, China needs a long-term peaceful and stable regional and international environment, said the Chinese president.

"The Chinese government will persist in its pursuit of an independent foreign policy of peace. To strengthen the good relations with our neighbors, including Russia, is an important part of China's foreign policy," he said.

China will work together with all peace-loving countries and will always be a force to safeguard peace. China, which resolutely opposes hegemonism in all forms, will never engage in expansion and seek hegemonism itself, Jiang said.

China's position in this regard is well-known to the world and China will strictly stick to it, he added.

Jiang said that he was happy to see that under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, Russia has made great achievements in promoting political stability, economic recovery and social harmony. A prosperous and strong Russia is in the interests of China and is conducive to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world, he said.

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