DUSHANBE: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday urged Asian countries and their partners to join hands in opening up new prospects for Asian security and development under new circumstances.Addressing the fifth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Tajikistan, Xi called on CICA members to build an Asia featuring mutual respect and trust, security and stability, development and prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, as well as cooperation and innovation.
China will steadfastly pursue a peaceful development path, stick to opening up and all-win approaches, uphold multilateralism, and work together with all sides to create a better future for Asia and the world, said the Chinese president.
Hosted by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, the CICA summit was attended by leaders or representatives of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan and other member countries, as well as representatives of observer states and relevant international and regional organisations.
Participants exchanged views on the theme "Shared Vision for a Secure and More Prosperous CICA Region," held in-depth discussion on international and regional issues of common concerns, jointly planned for Asia's long-lasting peace and shared prosperity, and reached extensive consensus.
In his address, Xi hailed the CICA's positive contributions to promoting peace and development in Asia since its establishment 27 years ago, saying that the mechanism has been committed to increasing mutual trust and collaboration among member countries and safeguarding regional security and stability.
Calling Asia one of the most dynamic and most promising regions in the world, Xi said Asian countries also face common challenges including insufficient political mutual trust, imbalanced economic development, and outstanding security and governance issues, and thus there is a long way to go to realize long-lasting peace and shared prosperity.
Xi said that building an Asia featuring mutual respect and mutual trust is CICA members' shared expectation, calling on them to adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respect each other's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as their respective choice of political systems and development paths. “We should discard zero-sum game and protectionism, enhance policy communication, improve political mutual trust and gradually expand strategic consensus,” said Xi. Noting that building a safe and stable Asia is a common goal of regional countries, Xi called for dialogue rather than confrontation, and partnership instead of alliance among CICA members.
As a member of the Asian family and a responsible major country of the international community, China will continue to be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order, he said, adding that it will push forward the construction of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind.
Firstly, China will steadfastly pursue a peaceful development path, Xi said, vowing never to seek benefits at the expense of others.
Secondly, China will stick to opening-up and all-win approaches, and share development opportunities with various countries, Xi said, adding that China is willing to work with all sides to take the advantage of the Belt and Road international cooperation platform to inject powerful momentum into their common development.
Thirdly, the Chinese president pledged to firmly uphold multilateralism and safeguard the international order based on international laws. China stands ready to work with all countries to promote a global governance vision featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, staunchly protect the international system with the United Nations (UN) at its core, and firmly safeguard the multilateral trade system with the World Trade Organization at its core, Xi said. A joint declaration of the fifth CICA summit was issued.