President meets in Beijing with leaders from four countries

 

President Xi Jinping underlined on Friday China's commitment to bolstering Belt and Road cooperation while meeting respectively with leaders from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos and Brazil at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

 

Sri Lanka

 

China is ready to see Sri Lanka become a commercial center of the Indian Ocean, Xi said when meeting with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

 

The two sides should make every effort to push forward the comprehensive development projects of Colombo Port City and Hambantota Port, making them flagship projects of China-Sri Lanka Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said.

 

The Sri Lankan president traveled to China to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to welcome and join the Belt and Road Initiative.

 

Xi said Beijing attaches great importance to the development of China-Sri Lanka relations, and is willing to work with the South Asian country to consolidate political mutual trust and embark on high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road.

 

China is willing to import more quality and specialty products from Sri Lanka, encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Sri Lanka, and help Sri Lanka realize economic transformation and upgrading as well as sustainable development, he said.

 

Sri Lanka is expected to provide an open and transparent business environment for Chinese enterprises, Xi added.

 

Speaking on offering aid to the South Asian country, Xi said China will continue to provide assistance to Sri Lanka without any political strings attached and help the country cope with difficulties concerning its society and people's livelihoods.

 

Xi emphasized that China firmly supports Sri Lanka's adherence to strategic autonomy and its safeguarding of state sovereignty, independence and national dignity.

 

Wickremesinghe said the BRI is conducive to enhancing Sri Lanka's unique influence in the region, and Sri Lanka hopes to work more closely with China in the future. Sri Lanka believes that the Indian Ocean should embrace openness, he added.

 

China can be an important partner in Sri Lanka's modernization, and Sri Lanka welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in Sri Lanka and is willing to provide an enabling business environment, he said.

 

Vietnam

 

Strategic areas including connectivity were highlighted by Xi as the priority for cooperation between China and Vietnam, as he stressed the need for stronger bilateral collaboration in emerging sectors such as e-commerce.

 

Speaking during a meeting with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, who came to Beijing to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Xi said China stands ready to further increase its imports of high-quality Vietnamese products.

 

Beijing and Hanoi should adhere to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits and fully leverage the strengths from geographical proximity and industrial complementarity to accelerate integration of the Belt and Road Initiative and the "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan, he said.

 

Xi urged joint efforts to forge closer bonds between both peoples and at local levels, especially among the younger generation, to carry forward the traditional friendship from generation to generation.

 

He noted that China and Vietnam have supported each other in their respective struggles for national liberation, forming a deep and enduring friendship featuring both comradeship and brotherhood.

 

The two countries are both advancing their own socialist modernization cause, both regard the bilateral relationship as a priority in their respective foreign policy, and both see each other's development as opportunities for their own development, he said.

 

Xi highlighted the need to forge a bilateral community of a shared future with strategic implications and ensure that China-Vietnam relations continue to thrive on a path of mutual benefit and cooperation.

 

Thuong said that over the past decade, the BRI has become an open, inclusive and high-quality international cooperation platform, significantly boosting relevant countries' development and promoting friendship between their peoples.

 

He expressed readiness to maintain high-level strategic communication with China, elevate the positioning of Vietnam-China relations, and continuously enrich the content of the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era.

 

Laos

 

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, signed with Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao president, an action plan on building a China-Laos community with a shared future from 2024 to 2028 between the CPC and the LPRP, after their meeting.

 

The two leaders also witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents in such areas as Belt and Road cooperation, the digital economy, media, culture, tourism, public health, and customs inspection and quarantine.

 

Xi told Thongloun during their meeting that the two sides should use the signing of the new five-year action plan to enrich relations between the two parties and the two countries, and inject new impetus into regional and world peace, stability, development and prosperity.

 

He highlighted the essential characteristic of China-Laos relations as upholding the Party's leadership and the socialist orientation.

 

The CPC and the LPRP should continue to deepen political mutual trust, enhance governance capabilities, and strengthen communication and cooperation in the political, law enforcement and security fields, Xi said.

 

He urged joint efforts to tap the potential of the China-Laos railway, focusing on development along the railway route, steadily advance construction of the China-Laos Economic Corridor, actively promote visions for regional connectivity and development, and create a model of Belt and Road cooperation in the region.

 

He underlined China's readiness to continue providing assistance to Laos for its economic development, encourage imports of more high-quality agricultural produce from Laos and expand cooperation in sectors including energy and mining.

 

Xi also pledged support to Laos, which will assume the rotating presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations next year, in playing a greater role in regional and international affairs.

 

Thongloun, who came to Beijing to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and pay a working visit to China, said Laos stands ready to strengthen high-level interaction with China, advance pragmatic-cooperation on the Laos-China Economic Corridor and other projects, and enhance coordination and cooperation on ASEAN-China relations and regional issues.

 

Brazil

 

The relationship between China and Brazil has remarkably promising prospects, Xi said when meeting with President of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies Arthur Lira.

 

Led by Lira, a Brazilian delegation is paying an eight-day visit to China that will conclude on Sunday.

 

As Brazil is due to host two major international events in the next few years — the G20 Leaders' Summit and the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Xi expressed China's support for Brazil's role as the host, saying that China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Brazil.

 

Noting that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva paid a state visit to China this spring, Xi said he and Lula reached an important consensus on navigating and charting the new era of China-Brazil relations.

 

China and Brazil are the largest developing countries in the Eastern and Western hemispheres and major emerging countries with global influence, Xi noted.

 

Faced with a world of changes and chaos, China and Brazil "surely should firmly support and echo each other", he said.

 

The Belt and Road Initiative is highly compatible with Brazil's reindustrialization and New Growth Acceleration Program, Xi said, adding that the two sides should synergize them to facilitate their respective modernization process.

 

Lira said cooperation with China has vigorously promoted Brazil's economic and social development and increased Brazil's employment and production capacity. China's success is of great significance to the world, and China has always been an important partner for Brazil's development.

 

Brazil is willing to play its due role as G20 chair next year and it looks forward to welcoming President Xi's visit at that time, he added.