Keep abreast of the times, press ahead with innovation, and strive for multidimensional development of the Party's international work 

Over the decade, the CPC's international work has become better institutionalized, with the Party's top officials playing the key part while involving the orderly participation of the whole party. Wang said that General Secretary Hu Jintao and other leaders of the Central Committee have paid much attention to, and made personal efforts in the Party's international work, playing a central leadership role in its scientific development. The International Department of the CPC Central Committee, as the functional body in charge of the Party's external affairs, has earnestly performed its functions assigned by the Central Committee. At the same time, other national organs of the party and local party committees as well have also been engaged in the Party's international work in an active and orderly manner, each playing its own strong points.

Over the decade, the all-round, multi-channeled, wide-ranging and deep-going pattern of international relations of the Party has seen new development. According to Wang, our party has now established connections in various forms with more than 600 political parties and political organizations in over 160 countries and regions in the world, engaging in bilateral and multilateral exchanges and cooperation with not only ruling parties and parities in coalition government, but also legitimate opposition parties, and international political party organizations and regional parties as well. New merits have been developed with regard to high-level exchanges and strategic communication with major parties of major countries, and also in preventive diplomacy, prospective research and basic work.

Over the decade, a synergic working structure has gradually taken shape, where political party diplomacy, public diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy are integrated and complementing each other. Wang said that the CPC has kept adapting its international work to the new circumstances of the world, the nation, and the party, and to the changes of the times by enriching the content and expanding the scope of its international undertakings. Under the new framework of the Party's international work, political party diplomacy, public diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy are exerted in coordination, producing greater resultant strength and adding to the overall edge of the Party's international work on the whole.

In close keeping with the overall diplomatic agenda of the nation, the Party's international work has served as an important means to promote China's foreign relations 

Wang said that the Party's international work has been carried out in concert with the overall diplomatic agenda of the nation. Inter-party exchanges have provided greater traction in the development of relations between China and other socialist countries, with in-depth discourse conducted from a strategic and long-term perspective. Relations with ruling parties of neighboring countries have been further deepened in the endeavor to foster a peaceful and stable surrounding environment for China. Exchanges with major parties of developed countries and emerging powers have been strengthened, with such mechanisms as the China-U.S. high-level political party leaders dialogue, the China-Russia governing party dialogue and the China-Japan inter-party communication mechanism playing a unique part in building strategic mutual trust and expanding political consensus. The traditional friendship with political parties of developing countries has been cemented, which has helped expand the scope of cooperation and consolidate the political foundation for China's relations with these countries. Besides, efforts have been made to organize, and participate in multiparty exchanges and dialogues. Multilateral platforms such as the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, the China-Europe High-Level Political Parties Forum and the China-Africa Young Leaders Forum have been effectively exploited for the CPC to have a bigger say in setting the agenda in multilateral events and to have growing voice over major issues.

Wang said that party diplomacy has taken an active and effective part in many of China's major diplomatic maneuvers. Relevant tone-setting activities have been carried out on the party level in support of major diplomatic actions such as the overseas visits of national leaders, as well as events like the Asia-Europe Meeting, the BRICS Leaders Meeting and the Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, where the unique strength of party diplomacy is brought to full play. Meanwhile, initiatives have been taken to step in issues concerning China's core and major interests such as those related to Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and the Olympic Games, with earnest efforts made to work on foreign political leaders as well as other key personages through party connections, so as to win over as much as possible the understanding and support of the international community. On international and regional hot-spot issues, party diplomacy has also played its due part in urging for reconciliation and negotiation and pushing for proper settlements of conflicts, helping to create a favorable external environment for the peaceful development of our country.

Wang said that inter-party relations have facilitated international exchanges and practical cooperation in multiple areas. With a view to serving both China's domestic and international interests in a balanced manner, we have tried to allow inter-party exchanges better promote the strategy of tapping both domestic and international markets and utilizing both domestic and international resources. In this regard, measures have been taken to promote bilateral cooperation in important areas and major projects, to build platforms to enable local authorities and businesses get access to international cooperation, and to explore other means to facilitate exchanges and cooperation in economy, technology, culture, education, public health and other fields. These efforts have contributed significantly towards China's effective response to the international financial crisis, and to the sustained and robust development of China's economy.

Meanwhile, person-to-person diplomatic endeavors have been strengthened for the long-term, sound, and steady development of China's state-to-state relations. Wang said that more emphasis has been put on making friends with individuals in the Party's international work. Through face-to-face dialogue and communication with foreign political figures, social elites and friendly non-governmental personages who are willing to talk to us, we have been able to enhance mutual trust and dispel suspicion, build on consensus, and bring more and more people in the world to understand China, and become friends of China. This has proved effective in preventing our foreign relations from being affected by government changes and the rise and fall of political figures in other countries.

Serving the Party's central task, international work has become an important front in the overall development of the Party's cause 

The Party's international exchanges have gradually become an important channel to display a good image of the CPC to the world. Wang said that under the new circumstances, international publicity is a task of growing importance in the Party's foreign affairs. In this respect, we have tried to tell the world through appealing, intelligible and truthful ways about the modern history of China and the history of our Party, so that the international community could fully understand that it was history and the Chinese people that have called on the CPC to lead the nation. We have tried to tell the world about the people-oriented governing philosophy of the CPC, to demonstrate the achievements it has scored as the ruling party, and to state clear our sincere will to safeguard world peace and promote common development. As a result, the international society is viewing the CPC with more understanding, recognition and respect, and the Party's international image has further improved.

International party links have gradually become an important platform for Party officials to observe and study the world. Wang said that by being involved in the Party's foreign affairs in various ways, especially by meeting and engaging with foreign political leaders and people form different circles, officials of the CPC are able to have first-hand experience of the developments and changes in today's world, and learn about development in other countries through field visits. Such experiences have enabled them to draw lessons from others, adopt a broader international vision, and enhance the awareness of integrating domestic development and external affairs. They have also inspired relevant departments and local authorities to come to the new ideas in pursuit of scientific development.

The Party's international work has gradually become an important channel for our Party to learn from others' experiences which provide support to decision making by central authorities. Wang said that as part of the Party's international work, its research has been carried out in several key areas: first, the strategic, prospective and counter-measure studies of the international situation to support the foreign strategies of the nation; second, tracing studies on the development trend of party politics and trends of thought in the world for a better understanding of the laws of governance of political party, so as to help improve governance of the CPC; and third, comparison studies of socialism and capitalism for a better understanding of our on-going socialist modernization drive and the laws of development of the human society, so as to serve the purposes of building a relatively well-off society and maintaining long-term stability of our country.

Minister Wang concluded that splendid achievements have been recorded in the Party's international work in the past decade, but there is still a long and arduous journey ahead. At this new historic starting point, we, workers on the Party's international front will, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee, build upon past achievements, advance with the times, and pay tribute to the 18th National Congress of the CPC with our best performance.

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