Sunday, September 15, 2013

Xi Jinping on Central Asia

After an extensive diplomatic tour in Central Asia, which included stops in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, Xi Jinping gave the folowing speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was attended by the heads of state of the SCO countries.  Check back in later for a full analysis of Xi's speech and China's foreign policy goals, opportunities, and challenges in the reason.
Xi Jinping gives a speech at the 13th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Head of State Meeting
Xinhua Bishkek – September 13 (Electronic Edition) – On the 13th Xi Jinping attended the 13th Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Head of State Meeting, giving an important speech entitled “Promoting the ‘Spirit of Shanghai’ of Shared Development”.  Below is the complete speech.
Promoting the ‘Spirit of Shanghai’ of Shared Development
Speech delivered at the 13th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Head of State Meeting
(September 13, 2013 – Bishkek)
Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping
Honorable President Atambayev,
Honorable colleagues:
I am very happy to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Bishkek meeting, and would like to thank Kyrgyzstan for meticulously preparing for and hosting today’s meeting.  For the past year, Kyrgyzstan has made great efforts to push for the development of this organization, and China would like to offer its heartfelt praise for everything that Kyrgyzstan has done.  
In the face of the latest developments and changes in the region and the international community, and with accordance to to the member nations’ upholding of stability, economic development, and meeting of demands for higher quality of life, this summit has chosen the “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member Nations Long-term Friendly Neighbor Cooperation Pact” as its central subject and will ratify the “Pact”, carrying out this plan by designing a comprehensive blue print for the next five years of development, using this plan to further expand the developmental prospects of this organization.
At present, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization faces a number of rare opportunities and serious challenges.  The “Three Forces”, drug trafficking, and transnational crime threaten the peace and stability of the region.  In the midst of the international financial crisis, each country has been negatively affected in varying degrees, and has entered periods of adjustment and recovery.
It is very difficult for any one country to face these challenges on its own.  We must strengthen our cooperation and join forces.  In light of the aforementioned circumstances, I suggest that this organization strengthen cooperation in the following aspects.
1.     Promote the “Spirit of Shanghai”.  In the “Spirit of Shanghai”, we must continuously increase multilateral communication, and establish mutual cooperation on the basis of equality, consultation, and give-and-take basis, corresponding to the trends of modern development and matching the interests and demands of each member nation.
We must raise this flag and earnestly carry out the “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member Nations Long-term Friendly Neighbor Cooperation Pact”, genuinely pushing for cooperation in all areas within this framework, allowing member nations to become good neighbors, good friends, and good partners.
2.     Work together to uphold peace and stability in the region.  An environment of peace and stability requires that we work together, cooperating to realize the necessary conditions of mutual development and prosperity.  We must carry out the “Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, Shanghai Convention” and plans for cooperation.  We must perfect this organization’s systems for cooperating on security and organizations for combatting terrorism and drug trafficking, and use this basis to establish a center for responding to security threats and challenges.  
Each member nation should also establish avenues for day-to-day communication, explore methods for joint activities, and work together to fight the “Three Forces”, establishing better quality of life for all the peoples in the region.
Afghanistan is an observer nation of this organization, and the situation there is becoming more related to the safety and stability of the region.  This organization should support the Afghani people and help Afghanistan achieve peace and stability as soon as possible, thus upholding the security of the region.
3.     Work strongly for concrete cooperation.  Concrete cooperation is the main basis and driving force of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.  Six of the member nations and five of the observer nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are located on the path of the ancient Silk Road.  As member nations and observer nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, we have the duty to pass on and strengthen the spirit of the Silk Road.
First, we must build major thoroughfares for the flow of traffic and goods, quickly implementing the “Agreement on International Road Transport Facilitation”.  After this is accomplished, I suggest we extend these thoroughfares according to the willingness of observer nations, thus establishing roads from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.
Second, we must reach agreements facilitating trade and investment.  We must open up cooperation, seeking to streamline trade and investment according to the interests of all sides, making use of each country’s potential, achieving comparative advantage, and promoting mutual development and prosperity.
Third, we must strengthen our financial cooperation.  We should push for a developmental bank for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, establishing a platform for economic cooperation, financial security, and settling payments.  At the same time, we should quickly set up a special account for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, allowing programs within the framework to fund research, exchanges, and training.  Proper use of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization Bank would greatly strengthen exchange and cooperation between financial institutions of the region.
Fourth, we must establish an energy club.  We must cooperate within the framework of this organization to foster environmental cooperation, establish stable trade relations, and ensure energy safety, while also raising our ability to work together in a broader sense to open up new sources of energy.
Fifth, we must establish an institution to cooperate on issues of food safety.  On issues such as agricultural production, the trade of agricultural products, and food safety, we must work to ensure the security of sources of food.
4.     We must strengthen cultural exchanges between our peoples, establishing popular support for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization within our societies.  We should broaden our cooperation in areas such as culture, education, television, health, and travel.
At the Beijing Summit, China already announced that over the next ten years it will provide thirty-thousand government scholarships to member nations.  We wish to work with closely with member nations to carry out this program.
China will establish the “China – Shanghai Cooperation Organization Center for Training in International Law and Exchange and Cooperation” at the Shanghai Institute of Politics and Law, and wishes to use this platform to offer training and education for member nations.  
Traditional medicine is a new field of cooperation for the organization, and China wishes to offer to set up Traditional Chinese Medicine institutes in member nations, using traditional medical resources to offer health services to member nations.
In accordance with the agreement reached by all members, China has already established a committee for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and suggests that both member nations and observer nations establish similar social institutions, increasing understanding and traditional friendship between our peoples.
This meeting’s “Bishkek Declaration” has already described the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s position on the Syrian crisis.  I would like to stress that China is deeply concerned with the situation in Syria, and supports positive efforts by the international community to end the violence, promote talks, and call for a political solution to the crisis in Syria.  China supports Russia’s proposal that Syrian chemical weapons should be inspected and destroyed by the international community, and wishes to strengthen communication and coordination between relevant organizations and the UN Security Council, continuing to work hard in pushing for a political solution.
Thank you.

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