H.E. Zeng Qinghong
Member of the Standing Committee of the
Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China, Vice President of the
People’s Republic of China, Honorary Chairman
of the Organizing Committee of the 3rd ICAPP
 

Honoured Guests, Fellow Delegates, Friends，

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In this pleasant season with charming autumn sceneries, we have the great pleasure to welcome in this beautiful city of Beijing all the honoured guests and delegates to the Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP). On behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government, I would like to extend our most sincere welcome to all of you, and to express our warm congratulations on the convocation of this conference.

ICAPP, which came into being in September 2000, is a great invention of Asian political parties to expand international exchanges and cooperation among themselves in their attempt to catch up with the tide of the times of peace and development and to adjust to the tendency of deepening regional cooperation. Having held two successful sessions in the past four years, ICAPP is becoming an important platform for furthering exchanges and cooperation among Asian political parties and for promoting development and prosperity in our region. I believe that this third session of ICAPP, with its theme of "Exchange, Cooperation and Development," will turn out to be a great occasion for participating parties to discuss major issues of peace and development, explore new ways of friendly cooperation in the region, and to share experiences in party building and in running state affairs. I also believe that this conference will raise onto a higher plane the exchanges and cooperation among Asian political parties and their joint efforts to seek development.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Asia is a continent with a long history and a brilliant civilization. Despite of differences in social systems, historical and cultural background and in levels and modes of economic development, countries in Asia are not prevented from expanding exchanges, building consensus and strengthening cooperation on a base of common respect for diversity. As depicted in a popular song in China entitled "The Valiant Spirit of Asia": Our Asia! Its mountains are like heads holding high; its rivers flow like warm blood. Our Asia! Its trees have roots linked in chains; and even clouds in its skies are joined together like holding hands. There is a unique charm and splendour in Asia’s history and culture. It was in Asia that the renowned Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Ten Principles of Bandung Spirit were formulated in the 1950s. These principles have become the norms of conduct for countries with different social systems to respect each other, seek common ground while shelving differences and discuss issues as equals. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence with such vitality and wide applicability will, as they have, continue to bear a great impact on the establishment of a just and equitable new international political and economic order.

Throughout modern times, the people of Asian countries have had a full taste of the bitterness of aggression and have suffered all hardships of wars. They have therefore the most profound understanding of the value of peace and the importance of development. History shows that peace and stability in Asia can only be ensured with exchanges and cooperation and that Asian countries must rely on their own joint strength to achieve prosperity and development. It is gratifying to see that since the end of the Cold War and especially since the Asian financial crisis in 1997, through concerted efforts of Asian governments and political parties, a new prospect of regional cooperation featured by equality, plurality, openness and mutual benefit is taking shape. Regional organizations and multilateral cooperation mechanisms of various forms have been thriving. Today, our region is enjoying a generally stable situation, with a sound tendency of economic growth and deepening regional cooperation. Asia’s share ｉｎ the world economy and its influence and role in international affairs are on the increase. The age-old Asia is becoming rejuvenated and is vigorously ascending. We have full confidence in Asia’s prospects for development in the 21st century. We firmly believe that, as home of the most energetic economies, the most promising emerging markets and the largest reserve of energy resources in the world, Asia, so long as it continues to carry forward its cultural tradition of cherishing peaceful development, adhere to the principles of good-neighborliness and friendship and appropriately handle international relations, will surely make even greater contributions to the lofty causes of world peace and development in the 21st century.

Asia’s peace and development in the 21st century are confronted with both rare opportunities and severe challenges. Looking around the world today, we can see that peace and development remain the themes of the times. However, the world is far from tranquil. Hegemonism and power politics are taking on new forms of expression. Terrorist activities are still rampant. And violence and local wars caused by ethnic conflicts or religious disputes are occurring every now and then. All these constitute threat to the security and stability of Asia. Population explosion, squander of resources and environmental pollution as well as the ever-widening wealth gap and digital divide are also hindering the development of Asian countries. In the new situation where opportunities and challenges, hopes and difficulties coexist, Asian governments and political parties need to exploit their political wisdom, work out policy measures and take real actions to take the tide at the flood while avoiding its dangers so as to achieve a win-win outcome and common development through expanded cooperation.

The laws of development of the human society tell us that peace is the prerequisite for development, and development an important guarantee for peace, while win-win cooperation a necessary condition for both two. It is not only the explicit purpose of this conference but also the historical duty of all Asian governments and political parties to push forward exchanges, dialogues and cooperation among Asian countries, promote peace, stability and development of the region, and to work for the well-being of our peoples in the region. To this end, I would like to take this opportunity to put forth the following four proposals.

First, we should seize the opportunity to continually explore new channels for regional multilateral cooperation. Multilateral cooperation needs various kinds of platforms, and common development needs everyone’s participation. The trends of the deep-going economic globalization and the unfolding regional cooperation are bringing opportunities to Asian countries for multilateral cooperation. We should improve the mechanisms of dialogue, cooperation and discussion among Asian governments in the principle of diversified forms and gradual progress. At the same time, we should pay great attention to and give full play of the unique roles of political parties, national parliaments and mass organizations in various countries so as to ensure wider, deeper, more enduring and more effective regional dialogues and cooperation in Asia.

Second, we should continue to find new ways to expand common ground while allowing differences. We believe that neither differences in ideologies and social systems nor lingering historical problems should be obstacles to increasing regional dialogues and cooperation. It is in fact a test of our political wisdom whether we could properly handle these problems. It is our hope that Asian governments and political parties will keep the world in mind and set our eyes on the future, assume responsibility for the history and for the people, respect each other’s interests and concerns, and seek common ground in a constructive manner. We hope that all governments and parties in Asia will strive for better cooperations and win-win outcome by pursuing cooperation instead of confrontation, seeking accord through consultation instead of imposing one’s own will onto others, reconciling differences instead of fomenting troubles, and building strength in unity instead of profiting at others’ expense.

Third, we should constantly build up mutual trust and try to find new approaches for regional security cooperation. Only with mutual trust can we dispel suspicion, and only through cooperation can we all share the joy of peace. We hope that in response to the complicated and profound changes in the international situation, all Asian countries will proceed from the overall interest of common security and adopt a new security concept of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation. We hope that on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, countries in Asia will resolve contradictions through dialogues on an equal footing, eliminate differences through friendly consultation, settle disputes through mutual understanding and mutual accommodation, and make efforts to create a peaceful, amicable and harmonious political and security environment for the development of our region.

    Fourth, we should work together to create a new prospect of common development with reciprocity and mutual benefit by building our own strength through unity. Close-door approaches will only lead to backwardness while joining efforts to become stronger as a whole will achieve common development. Bearing in mind the purpose of economic development of the whole region, all countries in Asia should strengthen economic cooperation, expand mutual investment, increase the flow of technology and personnel, progressively open our markets to each other by gradually eliminating trade barriers, solve problems arising in the course of economic cooperation and resource exploitation through consultation, and work for a new stage of the institutionalized and standardized economic and technological cooperation in the region.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Political parties in Asia have an extremely important role to play in the political, economic, and cultural lives as well as foreign relations of their respective countries. In the past, many political parties in Asia have led their people in the struggles for national liberation, defending national independence and opposing foreign interference. Today, Asian political parties are working hard to develop their national economies, promote modernization and national rehabilitation. Each of them has gained unique experience in serving its own country and in its self-improvement as a party, which are well worth studying and learning.

At this point, I would like to give you a brief account of the CPC’s history and its present state of affairs. The CPC mounted China’s historical stage amidst the mighty torrent of struggles against imperialism and feudalism fought by the Chinese people of all ethnic groups at the beginning of the 20th century when China was in a desperate predicament of national and social crisis. After 28 years of hard struggles with bitter sacrifice, our Party accomplished the mission of the New Democratic Revolution and achieved national independence and liberation of the Chinese people. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, our party imposed the state power of the people’s democratic dictatorship and made socialism as our basic social system. An independent and relatively complete national economic system was later on set up on the basis of extreme poverty and backwardness that was left by old China. With the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee in 1978 as the milestone, China entered a new historical period of reform, opening-up and socialist modernization drive, during which the CPC has, through trials and errors while bringing the entire people all along, explored a new road of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. The country’s national strength has increased both in terms of the economy and the scientific and technological capacity. The Chinese people, numbering nearly 1.3 billion, have on the whole realized the historic stride from mere subsistence to a moderately decent life. It was formulated by the 16th National Congress of the CPC, held in 2002, that we are to concentrate our efforts through the first two decades of the 21st century to build China into a more prosperous society in all respects in order to provide the one billion plus people with a better-off livelihood. In order to achieve this objective, we have formulated the principle policies for the advancement of all aspects of our work: first, to unwaveringly carry on with the economic and political restructuring programmes which are aimed respectively at the development of socialist market economy and socialist democracy, so as to provide institutional guarantees for building a society of moderate prosperity in all respects; second, to steadfastly carry forward the outstanding cultural traditions of the Chinese nation and to assimilate all kinds of useful achievements of human civilization, so as to provide intellectual support for the above mentioned objective; and third, to give overall considerations to different interests, ensuring coordinated development between urban and rural areas, between different regions, balancing economic growth with social progress, harmonizing the development of man and of nature, and coordinating domestic development with the opening-up endeavours.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics means domestically a socialism that promotes constant development of social productivity, and externally a socialism that advocates peace. The simplest interpretation of building socialism with Chinese characteristics is that in the times when peace and development are the main themes, China, as a socialist country, is resolved to take a road to develop itself in the process of safeguarding world peace and in turn to promote world peace by means of its own development.

Peace and development in China are beneficial to peace and development in Asia and the world as a whole. As our friends can all see that China’s vigorous development over the past 20 plus years has not only brought happiness to the Chinese people, but also brought opportunities to countries in Asia and in the world. Our development has not only constituted a positive impetus for the reallocation of the essential factors of production and relocation of industries in a worldwide scale, but also played a constructive role in promoting the sound development of the regional economy.

The CPC defines its main tasks in the 21st century in three major aspects, namely, to press ahead with the modernization drive, to realize national reunification, and to safeguard world peace and promote common development. This is a condensed expression of the CPC’s commitment that internally we are to concentrate all our attention and efforts on development of the country while externally we will work with peoples of the world to promote the lofty cause of peace and development of mankind. This is also a reflection of the Party’s will to integrate socialism with patriotism and to keep self-development in accord with the common development of the entire human kind.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Asia covers nearly one-third of the land area on the globe, and is home to more than half of the world population. Peace and stability in Asia will not only benefit the people of Asia but also be favorable to the whole world. It is the fixed objective of the Chinese government and the CPC to promote peace and stability, as well as development and prosperity of Asia and of the world. We will always hold high the banner of peace, development and cooperation, adhere to the independent foreign policy of peace and stay on the road of peaceful development. China will never seek hegemony or expansion. With a view of achieving peace, security, cooperation and prosperity in Asia, we will always seek friendship and partnership with our neighbors, trying to create an amicable, tranquil and prosperous neighbourhood. Practice has proved that a strong, progressive and innovative CPC is the fundamental guarantee for China to maintain stability and developing. Practice will prove that a stable, developed and prosperous China will surely be conducive to peace and development in Asia and the world at large.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is our common historical responsibilities to promote cooperation among Asian political parties in the 21st century, conduct exchanges in the spirit of equality and mutual respect, increase common understanding while setting aside differences, pursuing common development through closer cooperation, and to strive to build a diversified and vigorous Asian civilization. The Communist Party of China will continue to promote exchanges and cooperation with Asian political parties following the principles of independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non-interference into each other’s internal affairs. Let us join hands and work together to build Asia into a region of political stability, economic prosperity, cultural diversity and social harmony.

 Thank you.