The fields and channels of CPC's diplomatic relations have been further widened with deepening exchanges and cooperation, achieving more noticeable results.

High-level dialogues and exchanges have achieved fruitful results and enriched the inter-party relations greatly, improving the development of the relations between countries.

The Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties China successfully held not only serves as a pioneering work, but also acts as a successful practice in which CPC tries its best to strengthen its governance capability.

The experiences from the ruling parties of some countries are worth carefully studying CPC has always paid great attention to the research of the experiences and lessons from the rise and fall of foreign political parities, fully showing CPC's political vision and wisdom.

The year of 2004 witnesses the active diplomatic activities of CPC. Under the guidance of Deng Xiaoping's foreign theories and the important thoughts of "Three Represents", the fields and channels of CPC's diplomatic relations have been further widened with deepening exchanges and enhancing cooperation, achieving more noticeable results. On Dec 14 Wang Jiarui, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of CPC had an exclusive interview with a People's Daily reporter, in which he talked about CPC's foreign work in 2004.

Reporter: Would you please talk of the basic features of CPC's diplomatic work this year?

Wang Jiarui: The foreign work is an important component of CPC's cause and it is also an important battlefront in China's foreign work. Since the beginning of this year, under the care and correct leadership of the CPC Central Committee and with the direct guidance and participation of the central leading comrades, by closely centering on the overall work of the Party and the country, we have make great effort to bring CPC's foreign work into full play in seizing the important opportunities of strategy, realizing the objective of a well-off society in an all round way, strengthening the building of Party's governance capacity, striving for a sound international and surrounding environment, and raising Party's capability in coping with international situation and handling international affairs. Briefly, CPC's diplomatic work this year has three characteristics, namely, dynamic more high-level inter-party exchanges, remarkable results achieved in the exchanges of multilateral political parties, and rich
results have been made in the research of foreign political parties.

Reporter: Please brief the situation of high-level exchanges of political parties this year.

Wang Jairui: More than 4,500 foreign political delegations with more than 26,000 foreigners have visited China at the invitation of CPC or other relevant departments under CPC since China adopted reform and opening up policy 25 years ago. Meanwhile, more than 1,500 Chinese delegations with nearly 10,000 people sent by CPC or other relevant departments have also visited foreign countries. In recent years, CPC's diplomatic work has entered a new phase of rapid development with good momentum. In the year of 2004, more than 300 delegations have been abroad on official visits, meaning a delegation has been sent by CPC abroad per day.

Thanks to this background, the participation of Party leaders in foreign exchanges gets further increased. In June this year, Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, paid state visits to Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Greece and France. In September, Li also visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In October, Wu Guanzheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, went on an official visit to Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia and the Philippines. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Wang Lequan, Liu Qi, Liu Yunshan, Zhang Lichang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, He Guoqiang as well as He Yong, secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee, have also led delegations abroad for official visits.

The CPC leaders also met many foreign political delegations, almost 200 times this year, one third of which were warmly greeted and met by members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. If the talks and visits of CPC officials with their foreign counterparts during their state visits to these countries were counted, the number of CPC high-level exchanges would be much more.

The frequent high-level exchanges among the parties fully demonstrate that the new government of China has paid great attention to the parties' diplomatic work. Via these high-level diplomatic exchanges, leaders of CPC exchanged views with their foreign counterparts. They not only talked about the bilateral relations, but also about regional and international issues of common concern. Apart from that, the parties concerned also conducted the deep exchanges on the governance and experience. These positive measures have not only improved cooperation in various fields among the countries, but also help CPC learn the experiences and lessons from other countries. The high-level dialogues and exchanges have deepened mutual understanding, enlarged the common belief, and laid a solid foundation for further cooperation. The real results were achieved, greatly enriching the connotation of the parity relations and advanced China's diplomatic relations to new high.

Reporter: Apart from the high-level exchanges, you have also mentioned multilateral political activities. Could you say something about this?

Wang Jiarui: CPC successfully held the Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties in September this year. Leaders from 81 political parties, political organizations and representatives from 35 countries attended the conference, including some state, governmental and parliamentary leaders. The conference was not only a major step taken by CPC and the state in the overall foreign affairs, but also as the first time CPC has held such a big conference in its history.

The political parties from Asian countries warmly welcomed the theme of "exchange", "cooperation" and "development", the three proposals of "regional stability and multilateral cooperation", "economic growth and social development" as well as "political party building and national development" put forward by CPC. During the three-day conference, political representatives from various countries held heated discussions. They finally reached common ground and passed Beijing Declaration 2004 unanimously. The Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties is regarded as a successful result of the active role Asian political parties played, and has boosted regional cooperation under new situation. Meanwhile, the conference also deepened the mutual understanding and trust among Asian countries and political parties, contributing a great deal to promoting peace, stability and unity in Asia and pushing forward regional cooperation and common development.

It must be pointed out that through this conference, the new central collective leadership with Hu Jintao as the general secretary fully set forth China's peaceful foreign policy of independence and friendly-neighbor policy, which expressed CPC's sincere hope of promoting cooperation and stability with common prosperity in Asia, further demonstrated the Party members' image of advancing with time and devotion to peace and development in the new century, greatly deepened CPC's international influence, consolidated and developed the friendly relations between CPC and other political parties of the neighboring countries.

Parties at the conference also got a better understanding of the situation of China's reform and opening up, socialism with Chinese characteristics and CPC's domestic and foreign policies. They all expressed their intention to continue and deepen friendly relations with CPC. During the conference, another seven countries have established inter-party relations with CPC. Actually, the Third International Conference of Asia Political Party held by CPC could be regarded as both a pioneering work of CPC's participation in the multilateral exchanges and a successful practice in which CPC tries its best to strengthen its governance capability.

Reporter: You just mentioned the fruitful results made in research of foreign political parties. Would you please talk something about what significance the research will bring to the strengthening of CPC's governance capacity?

Wang Jiarui: In the process of inter-party exchanges, we have spotted that all the political parties across the world have placed great emphasis on building their ruling capability. Judging from the practice of all the political parties in the world, all the political parties shared many similarities in strengthening the building of ruling ability though they varies much in governing patterns with great difference in nature, belief, ruling concepts and social basis. Consequently, we have taken the research of the ruling concepts of foreign ruling parties as our top priority this year. Through comparing the ruling concepts and ruling patterns of foreign political parties, a series of research results have been made with reference value.

CPC held the Fourth Plenary Session of the Sixteenth National Congress in September this year. The main topic for discussion was on how to strengthen CPC's governance capability. It was said that the research result came at the right moment. After announcing the decision to strengthen its governance capability, there were a round of strong responses from the countries across the world. It was commonly believed that CPC has attached great attention to studying and learning the experiences and lessons from foreign political parities, showing CPC's political vision and wisdom.

Of course, that was only one aspect of our research work. When saying this it is my intention to illustrate that all of our research works had a thick-and-thin goal, which is to serve the overall situation of CPC and the country, and provide CPC's self-building and great cause with high quality intellectual support.

Reporter: Could you tell us what are you planning to do in CPC's diplomatic work next year?

Wang Jairui: CPC's diplomatic work will continuously stick to the Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thoughts of "Three Represents", fully implement the essence from the 16th National Congress, the Third Plenum the 16th Central Committee of CPC and the Fourth Plenum the 16th Central Committee of CPC. According to the new tasks and new requirements put forward by China's diplomatic work under the new situation, we should develop new areas in inter-party exchanges. Meanwhile, we will also actively explore the new modes in inter-party exchange, greatly make in-depth research on the theoretical and practical experiences of other countries and international situation, and do a good job in various diplomatic activities so as to improve CPC's diplomatic work. I believe that under the strong leadership of CPC Central Committee and with the support of other relevant departments, CPC's diplomatic work will definitely exhibit a more rich and colorful situation in the years to come.

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