RIYADH -- Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, in an address to Saudi
Arabia's Shura consultative council here on Sunday, called for concerted efforts
to build a harmonious world and promote peace and stability in the Middle East.
WORLD HARMONY
In the address to the Shura consultative council that advises the king and
cabinet, Hu urged the enhancement of dialogue and cooperation among all
civilizations in a bid to build a harmonious world.
Efforts should be made to enhance cooperation among all civilizations and
ethnic groups to promote the great cause of mankind's peace and development, Hu
said.
Hu made the remarks as he was visiting the kingdom, his second stop of a
current five-nation tour, which has already taken him to the United States and
will take him to Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya.
"In order to build a harmonious world, we should endeavor to preserve the
diversity of civilizations and courses of development, adhere to dialogue and
exchange of views between civilizations, uphold the spirit of inclusiveness,
allow cultures to complement one another through competition and develop
together by seeking common ground while shelving differences," the Chinese
president said.
Hu said all countries should acknowledge the differences in cultural
traditions, social systems, values and courses of development of other
countries.
In no way should we use these differences as a pretext to point a finger at
other countries' internal affairs, nor should we blame any civilization,
nationality or religion for the world's existing disputes and conflicts, the
president stressed.
We should go for collective progress between different cultures as to
build a world where all civilizations coexist harmoniously and accommodate one
another, Hu said.
In order to build a harmonious world, we should also strive for harmonious
development of the global economy, Hu said.
All countries should take effective measures to push forward the global
economy in a balance, reciprocal and win-win direction and make efforts to
alleviate imbalance in development and eradicate poverty, the president said.
We should actively promote regional and international economic cooperation,
jointly solve problems arising from global economic development and safeguard
economic security, Hu said.
All countries should go for mutual openness instead of blockade and endeavor
to set up a open, fair and regulated multilateral trading system so as to
achieve mutual benefit and win-win results for all countries, he added.
In order to build a harmonious world, we should also commit ourselves to
realizing peaceful co-existence among all countries, the president said.
All countries should abide by recognized international law and basic norms of
international relations, Hu said.
All countries should abide by the principles of mutual respect for
sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression and
non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and respect and preserve each
country's right to independently choose its own social system and path of
development, Hu said.
Multilateralism should be upheld to promote the democratization of
international relations and safeguard all countries' right to equally
participate in international affairs, Hu said.
We should encourage and support efforts to peacefully settle
international disputes and conflicts by dialogue, consultations and
negotiations, and oppose willful use or threatened use of military force, Hu
said.
All countries should consolidate cooperation on an equal basis to brave
global challenges, the president added.
"Building a harmonious world with a lasting peace and collective prosperity
is a shared aspiration of all peoples around the world and a necessary
requirement of mankind's development," the president said, calling on all
members of the international community to endeavor to realize this ambition hand
in hand.
The Chinese president also reviewed the time-honored friendship between China
and Saudi Arabia, whose friendly cooperation in all fields, by the efforts of
both countries, has witnessed steady development since their diplomatic ties
were established in 1990.
Our all-round cooperation served the fundamental interests of both peoples
and made significant contribution to regional and global peace and development,
Hu said.
Terming China and Saudi Arabia as good friends with mutual trust and
trustworthy partners, Hu expressed the hope that the two countries will make
continued and joint efforts to contribute to further development of mankind.
Hu arrived in Riyadh Saturday morning for his first state visit to Saudi
Arabia at the invitation of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz.
During his three-day visit here, Hu held talks with King Abdullah later
Saturday. The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations international
and regional issues of common concern and ways to strengthen the friendly
cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is now China's largest trading partner in West Asia and North
Africa. In 2005, trade volume between the two countries exceeded 16 billion U.S.
dollars, 56 percent up compared with the previous year.
In January, King Abdullah paid a visit to China, during which the two
countries singed a number of cooperation documents.
MIDDLE EAST PEACE, STABILITY
In the address, the Chinese president said that a harmonious Middle East is
in the long-term interest of the people of the region and the whole world at
large, and peace and stability in the region is the common wish of the whole
world.
Hu said that peace and prosperity of the world could not come without the
stability and development of the Middle East, an region of great influence to
the world.
After the Cold War, the Middle East region has been generally heading along a
path of peace and stability, but has still faced with various challenges, with
some hot issues long hanging without just and reasonable resolutions, new
conflicts keeping emerging and factors of uncertainty and instability
threatening regional peace and security remaining, Hu said.
All these have kept the region far from fully tapping its potential for
development, Hu said.
To build a harmonious Middle East, long-term strenuous efforts could not be
spared in the following aspects, Hu said.
Firstly, all parties should strive to realize regional peace and stability
through strengthening consultations and negotiations on an equal footing, which
are the only feasible means to settle conflicts and disputes, Hu said.
Secondly, mutual respect should be upheld. The spirit of inclusiveness must
be upheld in handling differences among various civilizations in the region and
jointly building a harmonious region where all civilizations coexist and
accommodate each other.
Countries in the region have their own histories and cultural heritages, and
the efforts and rights of different countries in the region to independently
choose their own social systems and paths of development should be respected and
guaranteed, said the Chinese president.
Thirdly, cooperation in development should be encouraged. Development is an
important foundation and safeguard for peace and stability, which is
indispensable for lasting peace, Hu said.
Development should be realized through mutually beneficial cooperation under
the circumstances of globalization, Hu said, adding that such cooperation would
promote understanding and friendship between various countries, and be conducive
to common prosperity and therefore to lasting peace of the region and the world
at large.
PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA
On domestic policy, the Chinese president reaffirmed that China has chosen
and will adhere to the path of peaceful development while continuing to play a
constructive role on world arena.
Hu vowed that China will always uphold the banner of peace, development and
cooperation, and unswervingly pursue an independent foreign policy of peace.
China will always stick to the path of peaceful development, implement its
mutually beneficial and win-win strategy of opening-up, and develop mutually
beneficial and friendly cooperation with all other countries on the basis of the
five principles of peaceful co-existence and other universally-recognized norms
governing international relations, said Hu.
China will continue to play a constructive role on world arena and work
together with all other nations around the world to advance the great cause of
promoting peace and development of the whole mankind, he said.
The Chinese and Arab peoples, both peace-loving peoples, have carried out
various kinds of friendly exchanges throughout history, Hu said, noting that the
two peoples have cultivated a profound friendship by supporting each other in
their fight for independence and the improvement of their economy and the
people's livelihood.
The Sino-Arab friendship and cooperation have not only benefited the common
development of the two sides, but also have contributed greatly to the
advancement of human society, said Hu.
He added that under the current situation, China is willing to work with all
Arab countries to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, and make joint
efforts with them to build a harmonious world of lasting peace and common
prosperity.