As Xi visits Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, safeguarding peace and promoting growth top agenda

Peace and development are the themes of China's diplomatic efforts, which is not a cliche but an important part of President Xi Jinping's agenda.

He is visiting Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus from May 7 to 12, promoting China's commitment in safeguarding world peace and his One Belt, One Road initiative to better connect Asia, Europe and other areas with infrastructure investments and trade.

This visit has clearly followed the pattern of his trip to Pakistan and Indonesia last month. He has witnessed the signing of multi-billion-dollar agreements for the China-Pakistan economic corridor, which is an essential part of his Silk Road proposals.

While attending the Asian-African Summit and activities commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference in Indonesia, Xi advocated the same spirit found at that 1955 Asian-African Conference to promote peace and prosperity.

After a one-day visit to Kazakhstan, plans called for Xi to spend three days in Moscow attending the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of Russia's victory in World War II with other world leaders. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin were set to discuss a consensus in connecting China's construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt with Russia's construction of the grand Eurasian passage and the development of the Eurasian Economic Union.

In Belarus on May 10 to 12, Xi and his counterpart Alexander Lukashenko were to inspect a 91.5-square-kilometer joint industrial park in suburban Minsk. The park, which has just started, is considered a sign of Belarus' strong support for Xi's Silk Road initiative. The park would be completed in two decades and about 200,000 people would live in its new industrial town, which has drawn mostly Chinese companies as investors, though it is open to global investors.

Xi will also pay tribute to soldiers who survived World War II in Belarus, which suffered enormously in fighting against German aggression, which also helped China defeat Japanese aggression.

Before Xi's visit, Cheng Guoping, vice foreign minister, said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the world anti-fascist war, as well as the founding of the United Nations. China and Russia were not only main battlefields of World War II in Asia and Europe, respectively, but also major victorious countries in the war and founding members of the UN and permanent members of the UN Security Council.

"The two nations once made huge sacrifices and great contributions to the victory in World War II," Cheng says. "Xi and Putin determined that China and Russia will together hold a series of celebrations and commemorations within bilateral and multilateral frameworks this year, and join with the world to remember history, cherish the memory of martyrs, cherish peace and open up the future."

Xi was scheduled to attend events commemorating the 70th anniversary of Russia's victory in what is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, including a parade in Red Square and laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

"President Xi Jinping's trip to Moscow is to safeguard peace and jointly create the future and to comprehensively advance China-Russia relations," Cheng says.

After five meetings with Putin, Xi is set to meet his Russian counterpart at least five times this year. Cheng says the frequent meetings have kept bilateral coordination of the comprehensive and strategic partnership at a high-level and developing in a stable way.

Cheng says Xi would also hold talks involving Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and meet with representatives of World War II Russian veterans and representatives of Russian aid experts. Both sides would also sign cooperation documents covering energy, aerospace, taxation, finance, investment and other fields.

"I believe President Xi Jinping's Moscow trip will surely achieve a complete success and inject new and powerful impetus into the high-level development of bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership coordination, thus boosting common development and revitalization of both countries as well as maintaining global peace and stability," he says.

Kazakhstan is the place where Xi made public the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative in September 2013. The following month he proposed the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative in Indonesia.

Xi left for Kazakhstan on May 7 for his second visit to this country.

Xinhua News Agency cited Aidar Amrebayev, head of the Institute for World Economy and Politics under the Foundation of First President of Kazakhstan, as saying Xi's visit to Kazakhstan following the re-election of Nursultan Nazarbayev as head of state shows support for the Central Asian country.

"This indicates that China attaches great importance to its ties with Kazakhstan and supports its stable and sustainable development," Amrebayev told Xinhua.

During their talks, Xi and Nazarbayev drew up a blueprint for cooperation between the two countries, including the joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and cooperation on big projects.

"As a friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of China, Kazakhstan is an important cooperative partner of China in constructing the Silk Road Economic Belt," Cheng says.

Cui Qiming, Chinese ambassador to Belarus, says Belarus is a nation that has had a traditional friendship with China in the Eurasian region, and it is the first country in the Commonwealth of Independent States that stood to support Xi's Silk Road initiatives.

This visit, according to Cui, as the first by a Chinese president in 14 years, accords with the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression as well as the world anti-fascist war, and plays a significant role in guiding the China-Belarus comprehensive strategic partnership to build on the past and usher in the future by opening a new chapter.

Xi will also attend the opening ceremony of the China-Belarus Local Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum, visit the Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum and meet representatives of Belarusian veterans of World War II.

"Xi will be inspecting the China-Belarus Industrial Park, the largest cooperative project in investment between the two countries," Cui says. The two heads of state will sign a China-Belarus treaty on friendly cooperation and sign and issue a joint statement on further developing and deepening the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership."

Both sides will also sign agreements covering economies, trade, customs, education, culture and other sectors.

"President Xi's visit will make a top-level design and comprehensive plan for further developing and deepening of China-Belarus relations," Cui says. "And this will intensify bilateral practical cooperation in all fields and bilateral coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs, and consolidate China-Belarus traditional friendship."

The author is China Daily chief correspondent in Brussels. Contact the writer at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 05/08/2015 page13)