Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward four proposals on boosting cooperation among member states of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on Thursday while attending the Seventh Summit of the CICA.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the CICA is a platform for dialogue and cooperation initiated and jointly built by Asian countries.
Since its establishment, the CICA has actively championed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, systematically advanced cooperation on confidence building measures, consistently practiced multilateralism, and worked tirelessly to strengthen the foundation of trust for peace and security in Asia.
China highly appreciates Azerbaijan's efforts during its CICA chairmanship to advance CICA cooperation, and stands ready to continue its strong support for and active participation in the CICA process, Wang said.
Amid accelerating changes unseen in a century, only by fostering a sense of community with a shared future, standing on the right side of history, and upholding solidarity and cooperation can Asian countries stand at the forefront of the times, turn crises into opportunities and jointly create a better future, he said.
Wang put forward four proposals:
First, jointly safeguard peace and stability. Asia does not need a Cold War mentality and does not welcome bloc confrontation. Asia's problems should ultimately be addressed by the people of Asia through solidarity and cooperation, and Asia's security should be ensured by upholding the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.
Second, jointly promote prosperity and revitalization. Development is the master key to solving all problems. Efforts should be made to better align high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with the development initiatives of various countries, safeguard an open environment for cooperation, advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, ensure the stable and efficient operation of international transport corridors, and strengthen supply security for critical raw materials, energy resources and food, so that Asian countries can work together to accelerate their progress toward modernization.
Third, jointly promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Asia is the continent with the greatest diversity of civilizations. Efforts should be made to firmly promote the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, respect countries' independent choices of development paths and governance models, deepen exchanges and cooperation in culture, tourism and health, as well as among women's and youth groups, media organizations and think tanks, and promote people-to-people exchanges and closer bonds between peoples, so that diverse civilizations can learn from one another and flourish together.
Fourth, jointly improve global governance. Efforts should be made to reinvigorate the authority and role of the United Nations, uphold the basic norms governing international relations established by the UN Charter, strengthen capacities in digital governance, disaster prevention and mitigation, and public health, and jointly build a more efficient, inclusive and resilient governance system in Asia.
Wang stressed that China will remain firmly committed to the path of peaceful development, bring greater stability to the international landscape through its own high-quality development, and provide stronger impetus for global growth.
China stands ready to work with all parties to build consensus, deepen cooperation and jointly build a peaceful, stable, prosperous, open and inclusive Asian community with a shared future, making greater Asian contribution to world peace and development, Wang said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev briefed attendees on the work undertaken by Azerbaijan during its two-year CICA chairmanship and put forward proposals for cooperation.
Participants exchanged views on the security and development situation in the CICA region and the implementation of confidence building measures. They agreed that CICA member states should practice multilateralism, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, address common challenges, safeguard the common interests of the Global South, and promote peace and development in Asia.
The summit adopted and issued the Baku Declaration of the Seventh CICA Summit.
On the sidelines of the summit, Wang also met separately with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, and had friendly exchanges with dignitaries from various countries.
(With input from Xinhua)