Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the opening ceremony of the fifth foreign ministers' meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Beijing, capital of China, April 28, 2016. (Photo: Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the opening ceremony of the fifth foreign ministers' meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Beijing on Thursday.
Xi's speech covered the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the South China Sea.
On the nuclear issue, Xi reiterated China's full adherence to the UN Security Council resolution, and its commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, securing peace and stability on the peninsula and resolving issues through dialogue and negotiation.
He urged all the parties involved to exercise restraint, avoid provocation, and pull the nuclear issue back to a track of dialogue and negotiations at an early date.
The president said China is always committed to peace and stability in the South China Sea. While China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, rights and interests, it is willing to peacefully solve the disputes through friendly consultation and dialogue with the countries directly involved, he said.
China will work with Southeast Asian nations to make the South China Sea a region of peace, friendship and cooperation, according to Xi.
He also touched on a number of other international conflicts and points of crises, calling for more international support for Afghanistan's reconstruction. He said China will play a constructive role in the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan.
China supports an "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" inclusive political reconciliation process, hopes the country can realize peace, stability and development at an early date, and is ready to provide assistance, according to the president.
He said China stands for and will continue to help promote a peaceful settlement of the Syrian issue and the Palestine-Israel issue through political negotiation.
China has played a constructive role in the signing of a comprehensive agreement on the Iran nuclear issue and will continue to press ahead the implementation by joint efforts with all sides, Xi added.
He reaffirmed China's adherence to a peaceful foreign policy, vowing "China will unswervingly take a peaceful path of development, maintain an international order with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter at the core, promote a new-type international relationship featuring cooperation and reciprocity, and be committed to building a common destiny for mankind."
The CICA was established in 1992 as a forum for dialogue and consultation on security issues in Asia. It has 26 member countries and 12 countries and international organizations as observers.
