Latest  News

Li in Vietnam to boost ties
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Hanoi on Sunday for his first official visit to Vietnam as premier, with dialogue on the South China Sea and deepening economic ties between the two countries, which share a long and complicated history, topping the leader's agenda.

Chinese premier arrives in Hanoi for Vietnam visit
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang landed here Sunday for an official visit to Vietnam aimed at further promoting the development of bilateral relations.

Li calls for peaceful South China Sea
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Wednesday called for a South China Sea of  "peace, friendship and cooperation" in a meeting with the leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), saying that China and ASEAN should actively discuss the signing of a treaty of friendship.

Chinese premier pledges enhancing China, U.S. communication, coordination
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here Wednesday that his country stands ready to strengthen strategic communication and coordination with the United States, and jointly promote the steady growth of world economy and safeguard world peace.

Premier Li says China, ASEAN should build consensus
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here Wednesday that China and the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should have a long-term vision and build consensus so as to elevate their strategic partnership to a new level.

Chinese premier starts first Southeast Asia visit in Brunei
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan Wednesday, setting in motion his first visit to Southeast Asia since assuming premiership in March.

Premier heads to Brunei for regional meet
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang heads to Brunei on Wednesday to attend regional summits and pay official visits to Brunei, Thailand and Vietnam, a day after President Xi Jinping wrapped up his first trip to Southeast Asia since taking office in March.

Visit  Agendas

In Brunei:
Bruneian, Thai media laud Chinese premier's visit
China, Brunei agree to further boost strategic cooperation
China, Brunei agree to seek closer maritime energy cooperation
Chinese premier pledges to boost cooperation with Brunei

In Thailand:
China, Thailand to hold talks on visa exemption
Chinese premier makes four-point proposal to upgrade ties with Thailand
Li's visit to boost Thailand-China ties: lawmakers
Chinese premier makes four-point proposal to upgrade ties with Thailand
China, Thailand chart course for future cooperation
Chinese premier vows to enhance amity between China, Thailand

In Vietnam:
China, Vietnam gear up to further advance bilateral relations
Turn South China Sea dispute into China-Vietnam cooperation bonanza

Li's  Quotes

“中国有句古话叫‘多栽花，少栽刺’，在这里我想说，我们要‘多栽花，不栽刺’，永做好邻居、好朋友、好伙伴。”	"China has an ancient saying: ‘we should plant flowers, not thorns.’ This means we should forever remain good neighbors, good friends and good partners." on Sino-ASEAN relations in China-ASEAN leaders meeting
Plant flowers, not thorns   多栽花，少栽刺 duō zāi huā, shǎo zāi cì The proverb extols the virtues of fostering good relationships and avoiding conflict.
“人敬我一尺,我敬人一丈”,只有相互理解和尊重,才能实现稳定和发展。	“'Kindness is always returned ten fold’. Only mutual understanding and respect can result in stability and development.” on the South China Sea issue at the East Asia Summit
’ Kindness is always returned ten fold.’ 人敬我一尺,我敬人一丈rén jìng wǒ yī chǐ, wǒ jìng rén yī zhàng “尺 (chi) and 丈 (zhang) are two units of length in China. One zhang equals 10 chi, an illustration of how kindness breeds mutual respect.
“一根筷子很难吃着东西，两根筷子一起用才能夹到食物，一把筷子捆在一起就不易折断。”	“People in many East Asian countries use chopsticks. If you’ve ever experienced chopsticks, you understand that they only work in pairs, and when a bunch of chopsticks are tied together, they don't break easily.” on the security net of Asia-Pacific region in East Asia Summit
A bunch of chopsticks: Li quotes a Chinese proverb about a clever hunter who is attempting to unite his three sons. He gives each son one chopstick first and they break the chopsticks easily. He then gives them a bunch of chopsticks. Though hard they try, the sons fail to break the chopsticks. The hunter then tells them that if you three separate as one chopstick, you are easily defeated. But if you unite as a bunch of chopsticks, no one can beat you.
“中国艺术家拍摄了一部电影，叫做《泰囧》，曾经创造中国国产片最高票房纪录，已经被翻译成泰语在泰国上映。”	"Thailand is a favorite destination of Chinese tourists. A Chinese movie named Lost in Thailand also broke box office records in China. I heard even Thailand is showing its translated Thai version." on Sino-Thailand friendship during a speech at the Thai National Assembly
Lost in Thailand 泰囧 tài jiǒng Lost in Thailand is a 2012 Chinese comedy directed and co-written by Xu Zheng. The film is about two businessmen who go searching for their boss in Thailand, and then meet up with a tourist eager to explore the country. The film has earned 53 million yuan ($8.48 million) at the box office premier and almost 130 million yuan during its opening weekend.

Comments on Li's quotes:

Li's talk on South China Sea wins support from across East Asia
Li's illustration stresses the urgency of all participating states at the forum, which share responsibility for regional security and stability, to unite for maintaining peace in the region.

People’s Daily: Deepening cooperation under the "plant more flowers, not thorns" doctrine
Li’s words "plant more flowers, no thorns" are unique and full of expectations. Developing Sino-ASEAN relations require the mutual effort of both sides. Only sincere effort and cooperation can benefits the people of Southeast Asia.

Sino-ASEAN Relations

Premier Li Keqiang gives joint written interview to media from ASEAN countries

Question: As China enjoys sustained and rapid growth and gains in national strength, China's neighbors have naturally shown doubts and concerns about whether China will seek hegemony once it gets strong. What is the foreign policy of the new Chinese government towards China's neighbors? And what is your view on deepening East Asia cooperation?

Answer: As for the direction of East Asia cooperation, China calls for adhering to the "East Asia cooperation spirit", upholding the principles of ASEAN centrality, consensus building and accommodating the comfort level of all parties, which have proved to be effective, and promoting a regional cooperation model with East Asian features. There are multiple regional cooperation frameworks and mechanisms in East Asia. This meets the reality of diversity in the region.

Question: How do you see the impact of the South China Sea question on China-ASEAN relations?

Answer: China places high importance on the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and cares deeply about ensuring the safety of navigation there. The truth is, the territorial disputes in the South China Sea have not affected the international shipping lane. China will continue to actively advocate and participate in regional maritime cooperation, including maritime security cooperation, and uphold peace and tranquility in this region. Click to see the full text

More official voices:

	Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying: To safeguard regional peace and stability, properly deal with financial risks, promote regional integration and pursue common development are the common aspirations of countries in the region and are on top of the agenda of the meetings of East Asia leaders.
	Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin: China advocates and supports that countries to discuss the South China Sea issue on the China-ASEAN leaders' meeting as this is an issue within the region. However, we have always been against the discussion of the issue on the East Asian Summit, and we do not hope the issue becomes a focus in the meeting.
	Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao: Financial cooperation in East Asia region is at a historical key stage and the ASEAN+3 (10+3) financial cooperation has achieved important and concrete results. The current priorities of the cooperation lie in the improvement of the effectiveness of Chiang Mai initiative Multilateralization, upgrade of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office to an international organization and further development of Asian bond market.
	Vice Commerce Minister Gao Yan: The bilateral trade volume is expected to reach $ 500 billion before 2015 and China has become the biggest trading partner and largest source of tourists for ASEAN.

Comments

SE Asia tests China's diplomatic creativity
At the geopolitical forefront of China, Southeast Asia has a critical stake in the rising nation. Nevertheless, it also serves as a barrier in the wake of numerous historical disputes and current frictions. Keeping benign relations with countries in this area is a test for China's strategic building capacity and diplomatic efforts.

Hong Kong Economic Times: High-speed railways a new diplomacy for China
China and Thailand are furthering cooperation in politics, economics, culture and many other areas. High-speed railway projects are playing an increasingly important role in China’s diplomacy, much like ping-pong diplomacy and panda diplomacy in the past.

ASEAN chief says positive about intensifying ties with China
ASEAN and China realize the importance of further promoting our partnership. China is a major partner of ASEAN in the sphere of trading. China is a major partner and a main source of FDI into ASEAN, so cooperation has been very encouraging.

Cooperation, development should remain EAS focus
The progress of bilateral cooperation is particularly notable in the decade of China-ASEAN strategic partnership, during which the two parties have gradually established a regional cooperative framework that features ASEAN's leadership and complementary institutions.

Fruitful ties with SE Asia yield rich harvest
China could also set up creative content production bases in Southeast Asia, drawing inspirations from the equally multicultural outlook in the region as well as the long history of interactions with China.

Carry on China-ASEAN cooperation in 'Asia Way'
To further facilitate the development of China-ASEAN relations, it is necessary to unswervingly follow the path of strategic cooperation, treasure the basic experience of cooperation and adhere to the consensus reached by the two sides. As such, China and ASEAN will be able to achieve enriched and wider cooperation in the "Asia Way."

Background

●About ASEAN:
Formed in 1967, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

●About EAS:
The East Asia Summit (EAS) will draw leaders of 18 countries including the 10 ASEAN members and their eight dialogue partners -- China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.

●Recent foreign visits of Chinese new leadership:

Time	Leader	Visiting countries	Report
Oct 2 - Oct 8	President Xi Jinping	Indonesia, Malaysia	Xi Jinping attends his first APEC summit
Sep 3 - Sep 13	President Xi Jinping	Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan	Xi tours Central Asia between G20, SCO summits
May 31 - Jun 8	President Xi Jinping	Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Mexico, US	Xi visits Latin America, meets Obama in US
May 19 - May 27	Premier Li Keqiang	India, Pakistan, Switzerland, Germany	Chinese Premier Li Keqiang starts first foreign visit
May 9 - May 12	Vice President Li Yuanchao	Argentina, Venezuela	VP's visit to advance ties with Argentina, Venezuela
Mar 22- Mar 27	President Xi Jinping	Russia, Tanzania, South Africa ,the Republic of the Congo	Xi's foreign debut illuminates China's "world dream"

More  News

Premier meetings
China advocates direct talks of South China Sea countries
China to promote mutually beneficial cooperation with ASEAN
ASEAN on way of playing dominant role in East Asian cooperation
China, ASEAN to deepen cooperation, upgrade FTA, says Chinese ambassador
ASEAN, China urged to deepen economic, trade ties
China's new leadership treats ties with ASEAN as priority: FM

News  Vocab

出访 chūfǎng go abroad on an official visit; visit a foreign country

Example:

在参加完东盟与东亚领导人系列峰会之后,李克强总理将出访泰国和越南。 （Source: 人民网）

After attending the ASEAN and other East Asia meetings, Premier Li Keqiang will pay official visits to Thailand and Vietnam.

Web editor: yangruoyu@globaltimes.com.cn