Beijing, Jakarta to work for stability
Updated: 2012-09-09 08:55
By Wu Jiao in Vladivostok, Russia and Zhao Shengnan in Beijing (China Daily)
|
|||||||||||
President Hu calls for handling South China Sea issue through consultation
Beijing and Jakarta on Saturday agreed to work together for regional peace and development as their leaders met at the APEC forum in Russia's Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok.
Meeting his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President Hu Jintao said China and Indonesia share common interests in safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Hu made the remarks as actions taken by several ASEAN countries seeking advantages in their competing claims of the South China Sea area have intensified the regional situation.
Special coverage: Hu attends APEC Summit |
While some ASEAN countries sought to flame up the dispute and internationalize the issue, China has always favored bilateral political dialogue between direct claimants to solve the issue.
Hu said it is in the common interests of countries concerned to properly handle the issue through dialogue and consultation.
China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, advance practical cooperation, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the region, Hu said.
Indonesia, the largest member of the ASEAN group and having no overlapping claims with China over the South China Sea, has played a leading role in regional affairs.
In 2007, ASEAN leaders adopted a blueprint guiding its economic community establishment, aiming to have a competitive market by turning ASEAN into a single market and production base.
Luo Yongkun, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that the core of the South China Sea issue is cooperation, and Indonesia, with stable politics and steady economic growth, is able to promote such cooperation.
"China values Indonesia's leading role in promoting the community's construction based on ASEAN internal consolidation, as well as forming a larger community in East Asia that includes China," he said.
During the meeting, the two leaders also pledged to advance bilateral political and economic ties by reinforcing strategic communication and beefing up economic and trade cooperation.
Yudhoyono said Indonesia is ready to promote bilateral relations and willing to maintain frequent high-level contact as well as consultation at all levels with China to expand trade and investment. He said his country welcomes Chinese companies to participate in major infrastructure projects, manufacturing and energy industry.
Indonesia, with a total GDP of more than $1 trillion and a population of 240 million, is the largest economy in Southeast Asia. Indonesia is China's third-largest trade partner among the ASEAN. In 2011, bilateral trade hit $60 billion, increasing by more than 41 percent over the previous year.
Contact the writers at wujiao@chinadaily.com.cn and zhaoshengnan@chinadaily.com.cn
Related Stories
Hu: China to host 2014 APEC economic leaders' meeting 2012-09-08 18:54
Hu vows to press close ties with Russia 2012-09-08 09:24
Hu attends APEC meeting in Vladivostok 2012-09-08 17:22
APEC leaders mull regional growth 2012-09-07 10:04
Members to promote free trade at APEC forum 2012-09-07 08:15
APEC ministers agree on list of tariff reduction 2012-09-06 19:16
Today's Top News
President Xi confident in recovery from quake
H7N9 update: 104 cases, 21 deaths
Telecom workers restore links
Coal mine blast kills 18 in Jilin
Intl scholarship puts China on the map
More bird flu patients discharged
Gold loses sheen, but still a safe bet
US 'turns blind eye to human rights'
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
All-out efforts to save lives |
Liaoning: China's oceangoing giant |
Poultry industry under pressure |
'Spring' in the air for NGOs? |
Boy set to drive Chinese golf |
Latest technology gets people talking |