On March 7, 2024, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked about neighborhood diplomacy when he met the press during the NPC and CPPCC sessions.

Wang Yi said that the Chinese people have a saying that a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. China and its neighboring countries will always be there for each other, and Asia is our common home. Making it a better place is the shared hope of all countries in the region. Since President Xi Jinping initiated China’s neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, China has worked with its neighbors to open up new prospects for good neighborliness and friendship, and have found the distinctive Asian way for getting along well with each other.

China stays committed to forging friendship with its neighbors. China and neighboring countries respect each other’s core and major concerns, maintain frequent high-level exchanges, and endeavor to increase mutual understanding and affinity among our peoples. The idea of good neighborliness and friendship has won stronger popular support, and the vision of a community with a shared future has taken root in the hearts of our peoples.

China and its neighbors stay committed to treating each other with sincerity. They believe in seeking common ground while shelving differences, accommodating each other’s comfort levels, enhancing understanding and trust through candid communication, and settling differences and frictions through dialogue and consultation. They work together to tackle risks and challenges, and stand side by side as good neighbors in trying times.

China and its neighbors stay committed to mutual benefit. They make good use of our complementary strengths to help each other achieve development and revitalization. A large number of cooperation projects, such as the China-Laos railway, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline, the China-Malaysia twin industrial parks, and the Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway, have boosted growth in the region.

China and its neighbors stay committed to openness and inclusiveness. They practice open regionalism, take an active part in East Asian cooperation, support ASEAN centrality, and promote deeper and more substantive China-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation. The China-Central Asia Summit and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism have made robust progress. The SCO has become a regional organization that covers the largest area and population in the world.

Wang Yi said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Although born in Asia, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence transcend differences in social system and ideology. They have become basic norms governing international relations and fundamental principles of international law, contributing the wisdom of the East to properly handling state-to-state relations. Seventy years later, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are not outdated. They are even more relevant and vibrant than ever. China stands ready to work with its neighbors to carry forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence toward building a community with a shared future for Asia and for mankind, so that Asia can continue to contribute to world peace and provide impetus to global growth.