Peace, co-operation and respect

On Friday October 24, one day after President Bush, the 
President of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao addressed a 
joint sitting of Federal Parliament. He spoke warmly of lasting 
peace, friendship, respect and long-term mutually beneficial co-
operation with Australia, and outlined a new concept for 
security. The following is an abridged text of his speech.

Let me begin by expressing, on behalf of the Chinese Government 
and people, my best wishes to you and, through you, to the cour-
ageous and hard-working Australian people.

The Chinese people have all along cherished amicable feelings 
about the Australian people.

Back in the 1420s, the expeditionary fleets of China's Ming 
Dynasty reached Australian shores.

For centuries, the Chinese sailed across vast seas and settled 
down in what they called Southern Land, or today's Australia. 
They brought Chinese culture to this land and lived harmoniously 
with the local people, contributing their proud share to 
Australia's economy, society and its thriving pluralistic 
culture. More than three decades have passed since China and 
Australia established diplomatic relations.

To consolidate and develop its all-round co-operation with 
Australia is a key component of China's external relations. We 
have always viewed our friendly ties with Australia from a 
strategic and long-term perspective.

I am convinced that China and Australia will shape a relationship 
of all-round co-operation that features a high degree of mutual 
trust, long-term friendship and mutual benefit, a relationship 
that makes our two peoples both winners.

How should countries go about their relations with one another in 
this complicated and diverse world?

It is a question that is on the minds of many people. We are of 
the view that for a smooth conduct of state-to-state relations 
and for lasting peace and common prosperity, all countries should 
act in compliance with the following principles:

Political

First, politically, they should respect each other, seek common 
ground while putting aside differences and endeavour to expand 
areas of agreement.

Our world is a diverse place like a rainbow of many colours. 
Civilisations, social systems, development models, as different 
as they may be, should nonetheless respect one another, learning 
from each other's strong points to make up for one's own weakness 
amid competition and comparison and achieving common development 
by seeking common ground while shelving differences.

By mutual respect politically, we mean that the political system 
and path of political development chosen by the people of each 
country should be respected.

Democracy is the common pursuit of mankind, and all countries 
must earnestly protect the democratic rights of the people. In 
the past 20 years and more since China embarked on the road of 
reform and opening up, we have moved steadfastly to promote 
political restructuring and vigorously build democratic politics 
under socialism.

While upholding and improving our systems of peoples congresses, 
multi-party co-operation and political consultation under the 
leadership of the Communist Party, and regional ethnic autonomy, 
we have advanced the process of scientific and democratic 
decision-making and promoted grassroots democracy, protection of 
citizens' rights and freedoms, and democratic elections, 
democratic decision-making, democratic management and democratic 
supervision by the people in the country's political, economic, 
cultural and social life according to law.

In future, we will continue to move forward our political 
restructuring in a vigorous and cautious manner as our national 
conditions merit, improve our democratic institutions and legal 
systems and build a socialist political civilisation.

True, China and Australia are different in social systems. This 
is the result of different choices made by our people in light of 
their national conditions, and the two countries' different 
historical evolution.

As China-Australia relations prove, so long as they understand 
and treat each other as equals and respect their respective 
national conditions and circumstances, countries with different 
social systems may very well become partners of friendly co-
operation with con-stantly increased common ground.

Economic

Second, economically, they should complement and benefit one 
another, deepen their co-operation and achieve common 
development. With economic globalisation developing in such 
depth, no country can expect to achieve economic development 
without going for effective economic and technological co-
operation with other countries and actively participating in 
international division of labour.

Bringing in capital, knowledge, technology and managerial 
expertise needed for development at home and in return providing 
products and know-how with comparative advantages for the 
development of others — this is how countries achieve common 
development through mutually beneficial co-operation.

Right now, China has entered into a new stage of building a well-
off society in an all-round way and accelerating the socialist 
modern-isation drive.

We are busily engaged in developing a socialist market economy 
and opening the country still wider to the outside world in more 
areas and with a higher level of sophistication.

China enjoys a vast market, abundant labour, social and political 
stability and a vibrant momentum for development. A stronger and 
more developed China will bring growth opportunities and tangible 
benefits to other countries in the world. China and Australia are 
highly complementary economically.

The potential for China-Australia economic co-operation is 
immense. Past, present or future, we see Australia as our 
important economic partner.

China-Australia trade grew rapidly in recent years from US$87 
million (A$124.67 million) in the early years of diplomatic 
relations to US$10.4 billion (A$14.9 billion) in 2002.

China has become Australia's third largest trading partner, the 
fourth largest export market, and the fastest-growing one. 
Australia is China's ninth largest trading partner and the 
biggest supplier of wool.

Over the years, China has purchased large amounts of iron ore and 
aluminium oxide from Australia which has such energy and mineral 
riches. Last year, the two countries signed a 25-year, $25 
billion deal on LNG [liquid natural gas] in Guangdong, thus 
laying a solid foundation for bilateral energy co-operation.

Also expanding steadily are the bilateral exchanges and co-
operation in science and technology, agriculture and animal 
husbandry. By June 2003, Australia had invested in a total of 
5600 projects in China, with a paid-in investment exceeding US$ 
3.1 billion. China has invested in 218 projects in Australia with 
a contractual value of US$450 million.

We are ready to be your long-term and stable co-operation partner 
dedicated to closer co-operation based on equality and mutual 
benefit. The trade and economic framework between China and 
Australia which will be signed today marks the beginning of a 
brand new stage of our trade and economic co-operation.

Cultural

Third, culturally, they should step up exchanges and enhance 
understanding and mutual emulation.

Diversity in the world is a basic characteristic of human 
society, and also the key condition for a lively and dynamic 
world as we see today. The proud history, culture and traditions 
that make each country different from others are all parts of 
human civilisation.

Every nation, every culture, must have some strong points of its 
own, and all should respect one another, draw on each other's 
strength to make up for its own weakness and strive to achieve 
common progress.

China has a 5000-year civilisation, and its people of 56 ethnic 
groups have worked together to shape the magnificent Chinese 
culture. The Chinese culture belongs not only to the Chinese but 
also to the whole world.

With reform, opening up and modernisation drive pressing ahead 
with full swing, we are all the more eager to draw on the useful 
achievements of all civilisations.

Cultural exchanges have long served as important bridges of 
enhanced understanding and deepened friendship between our two 
peoples.

In recent years, people-to-people exchanges between China and 
Australia have grown rapidly with annual visits well over 
100,000.

China is now the biggest source country of foreign students in 
Australia. We should continue to expand our cultural exchanges, 
giving fuller play to culture's role as the bridge and bond in 
the building of friendship between the two countries and two 
peoples.

Security

Fourth, in security, they should strengthen mutual trust, co-
operate on an equal footing and endeavour to maintain peace. 
Peace and development remain the dominant theme of our times.

Uncertainties undermining world peace and development are on the 
increase.

Traditional and non-traditional threats to security are mixed 
together, rendering some regions unstable and turbulent. 
Terrorism attacks from time to time, and cross-boundary crime 
have become more pronounced.

China advocates a new security concept featuring mutual trust, 
mutual benefit, equality and co-operation and strives to resolve 
disputes peacefully through dialogue and co-operation.

We believe in democracy in international relations. The affairs 
of the world should be handled through consultation on the equal 
footing by all countries.

Members of international community should reaffirm their 
commitment to multilateralism and give full scope to the 
important role of the United Nations and its Security Council in 
maintaining world peace and security.

China and Australia respect each other's sovereignty and 
territorial integrity, stick to non-interference in each other's 
internal affairs and enjoy a growing mutual trust in the security 
field.

The recent years saw increasing exchanges between the two 
militaries as evidenced by the annual defence strategic dialogue 
for six consecutive years and frequent port calls by naval ships 
of both countries. China and Australia have shared interests in 
keeping the South Pacific and Asia-Pacific stable, easing 
regional tensions and promoting peaceful settlement of hot-spot 
issues.

China welcomes and supports a constructive Australian role in 
regional and international affairs.

We on our part will stick to our independent foreign policy of 
peace, acting forever as a strong defender of world peace and a 
persistent proponent of common development. We are ready to join 
Australia and other countries in cultivating a secure and 
reliable international environment of lasting stability.

Taiwan

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The complete 
reunification of China at an early date is the common aspiration 
and firm resolve of the entire Chinese people. A peaceful 
solution to the Taiwan question serves the interests of all 
Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan. It also 
serves the common interests of all countries in the region, 
including Australia.

The greatest threat to peace in the Taiwan Straits is from the 
splitist activities by the Taiwan independence forces. We are 
firmly opposed to Taiwan independence.

The Chinese Government and people look to Australia for a 
constructive role in China's peaceful reunification.

Looking forward, I feel confident in where the relationship is 
headed. Let us join hands in writing a more luminous new chapter 
of China-Australia relationships of all-round co-operation.