Senior Chinese diplomat says visit to Asian, European countries produces key consensus

Yang Jiechi

BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese official Yang Jiechi said on Friday that his visit to Myanmar, Spain and Greece has deepened mutual trust, expanded cooperation, and produced multiple important consensus.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in a written interview with Xinhua as he wrapped up the visit to the three countries.

Firstly, the trip has consolidated political mutual trust, said Yang, adding that China and Myanmar have agreed to maintain close high-level contact, implement the agreement reached during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the country in January, as well as study and formulate an action plan to build the China-Myanmar community with a shared future.

China and Spain agree to further step up political dialogue and the synergy of policies so as to upgrade the level of strategic cooperation, he said, adding that the Greek side pledges to continue to prioritize its cooperation with China.

Yang also said that the three countries hailed the progress China has made in containing the COVID-19 outbreak and in resuming work and production, view China as an opportunity for development, and are ready to maintain high-level exchanges in various ways to constantly consolidate strategic mutual trust.

Secondly, the visit has deepened mutually-beneficial trust, Yang said, adding that China and Myanmar have decided to actively push forward the construction of the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor so as to take bilateral economic and trade cooperation up to a new level.

He also said that China and Spain agree to future align their strategies for economic recovery, and deepen cooperation in exports of agricultural products, renewable energy, smart cities, electric cars, e-commerce and digital communications, adding that China and Greece agree to further push forward the Piraeus port cooperation project.

Yang said that the third consensus during his visit this time is to push forward anti-epidemic cooperation, adding that the Chinese side and the three countries have exchanged their views on their respective epidemic situation, and their measures to contain the outbreak, and that the three countries agree that China has stood with them in their battle against the epidemic.

He also noted that China and the three countries have agreed to step up their cooperation in the fight against the virus, the development of vaccines and drugs, as well as the production and sales of anti-epidemic materials, and to jointly support the leading role of the World Health Organization in the world's fight to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

Fourthly, the visit has promoted their people-to-people and cultural exchanges, said Yang. He said that all sides agree to take an objective and inclusive attitude towards the differences regarding their cultures and social systems, step up dialogues and exchanges, and boost harmonious development in a bid to push for new progress and civilizational advancement of the human race.

Yang said the fifth consensus is to jointly preserve peace and development, adding that China and the three countries conducted deep exchanges related to major regional and global affairs of common concern, and agree that the international community should uphold multilateralism, safeguard the development rights of peoples in all countries, and jointly cope with global challenges.