Li's foreign trip to demonstrate diplomacy of new leadership

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is to pay official visits to India, Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany next week, his first foreign trip as China's new head of government.

As an important diplomatic tour by the new Chinese leadership, the upcoming trip by Li spans the two continents of Asia and Europe and has sparked intense interests both at home and abroad.

EMBODIMENT OF DIPLOMATIC STRATEGY

The maiden foreign trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which took him to Russia and three African countries late March, marked the start of a new age of China's diplomacy.

From Xi's trip to Li's scheduled visits, both are embodiment of China's overall diplomatic strategy, with which the new Chinese leadership aims to show the outside world its commitment to peaceful development.

Li's destinations this time include both developing and developed nations, and both China's close neighbors and partners from further afield.

Qu Xing, head of China's Institute of International Studies, said that Li's upcoming trip will carry forward China's multi-faceted diplomacy.

More than three decades of reform and opening-up have shown that China's development is inseparable with the rest of the world and that a more prosperous world is increasingly associated with China. China and the world are becoming a community of shared destiny.

Coming at a time when China is playing a more prominent role on the world stage and carries increasing economic significance, Li's visits would illustrate the idea of shared destiny and China's belief in common development.

It is also hoped the visits could consolidate the peaceful environment for China's development.