exchanges

Xi Meets Latvian President

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Latvian counterpart Raimonds Vejonis in Beijing on September 18. Vejonis was in China to attend the annual meeting of the Summer Davos Forum in north Chinas Tianjin.

“China stands ready to deepen political trust， expand economic and trade cooperation and enhance people-to-people exchanges with Latvia based on mutual respect and equality so as to benefit the two peoples，” Xi said.

Noting that Latvia is the first among countries in the Baltic Sea region to sign a document on cooperation with China on the Belt and Road Initiative， Xi said the two countries should facilitate the alignment of their development strategies， increase cooperation in such areas as logistics and infrastructure construction， and help promote interconnectivity between Asia and Europe.

Deeming the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern Europe countries （CEEC） “an important component of China-Europe relations” as well as “a bridge connecting the Belt and Road Initiative with Europe，” Xi proposed China and Latvia step up cooperation within the framework of China-EU and ChinaCEEC cooperation mechanisms.

Vejonis spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism， saying that he hoped the two countries could strengthen cooperation in the fields of trade， investment， transportation， logistics， tourism， and people-to-people exchanges.

“Latvia is committed to promoting the development of Europe-China ties，” said Vejonis.

China， Netherlands Committing to Safeguarding Multilateralism， Free Trade

China and the Netherlands on October 15 pledged to jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade by carrying out more open and pragmatic cooperation， against the backdrop of a complicated international situation with increasing uncertainties.

The pledge was made as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague.

By doing so， positive signals will be sent to the world that China， the Netherlands as well as Europe are maintaining a rulesbased international order and are committed to the facilitation and liberalization of trade and investment， Li said.

Li said China is willing to learn the Dutch experience in managing an ageing society and establishing cooperation mechanisms in areas such as urbanization， elder care and clean energy technologies.

Rutte said the Netherlands attaches great importance to its ties with China and is willing to strengthen political trust and deepen practical cooperation between the two countries.

He said the Netherlands looks forward to tapping potentials for cooperation in areas including circular economy， urbanization and smart city with China and expand cooperation in thirdparty markets.

The 35th Annual Session of InterAction Council Convened in Beijing

On September 28， the 35th Annual Plenary Session of InterAction Council kicked off in Beijing. More than 20 former heads of state and government as members of the international body attended its opening ceremony. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the event. Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress Ji Bingxuan read Xis letter and addressed the ceremony. In the letter， Xi said the reform of the global governance system and the international order was accelerating， and it has become a general trend and the common task for all countries to strengthen global governance and improve the global governance system. The InterAction Council has made continuous efforts on solving global challenges and played an active role in safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.

Xi stressed that China always follows the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration in engaging in global governance， firmly supports multilateralism， and actively promotes the building of a new type of international relations as well as a community with a shared future for mankind.

Bertie Ahern， former Irish prime minister and co-chair of the InterAction Council， indicated his appreciation to Chinas support to the council and his hope to cooperate with China in addressing major global issues facing the whole human society.

During the session， the InterAction Council discussed such issues as how to preserve the WTOs role as an impartial arbiter of world trade， what can be done to prevent the world from waging an ongoing protectionist trade war， and issues related to artificial intelligence， environmental protection， and nuclear weapons.

“International trade is complementary and winwin by nature. In the face of trade frictions， China has always advocated a proper settlement based on rules and consensus through dialogue and consultation on an equal footing. China will not be blackmailed or yield to pressure. China is acting to defend its own legitimate rights and interests and safeguard the free trade system， international rules and order， the prospects of global economic recovery and the common interests of all countries in the world.”

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks while attending the General Debate of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 28.