On 26 June 2023, Ambassador Lu Kang delivered a keynote speech on China's role in the Middle East and the prospect of stability and peace, and took questions on China's Middle East policy, China-Indonesia friendly cooperation, relations between China and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and South China Sea. Full text of the speech is as follows:
Distinguished Dr. Athor Subroto,
Distinguished Director Bagus Hendraing,
Dear faculties and students,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Selamat siang!
It is a great pleasure to be here at Universitas Indonesia (UI). As the oldest institution of higher learning in Indonesia, UI stays committed to being a world-class university since its founding in 1849. Its distinguished alumni have made significant contributions to this nation.
The School of Strategic and Global Studies is prominent in the international relations academia in Indonesia. I appreciate this opportunity to join you today. I understand many of you follow China's foreign policy very closely. As Chinese Ambassador, I do hope China's foreign policy will be better informed, understood, and appreciated by more Indonesian friends.
Today's event is on "China's Influence in the Middle East and the Prospect for Stability and Peace." I am more than happy to touch upon this topic, especially in the context of the detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing three months ago. I notice that China's successful mediation in this historic reconciliation has received wide attention and high acclaim in Indonesia. Many government officials and political party leaders congratulated me on China’s successful efforts. Some Islamic organizations and youth groups sent to our Embassy flowers and banners of gratitude.
We are pleased to see that improvement of the Saudi-Iran relations is on its way as designed. On June 6th, Iran reopened its Embassy in Saudi Arabia. Further substantive steps in line with the roadmap and timetable outlined in the Beijing Agreement are on the way. Just one week ago, Prince Faisal, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, paid a historic, friendly visit to Iran.
I learned that you are interested in how China successfully facilitated the reconciliation. This is also the question of many Indonesian friends I met lately.
However, my response is that the credit for the resumption of diplomatic ties should primarily go to the two countries themselves. It is first of all a result of the goodwill and dedication of the Saudi and Iranian people in committing to the national development, friendly neighborhood, regional stability, harmony among the Muslim world, and solidarity of developing countries. The reconciliation is a choice made independently by the two countries. It is also the prevailing aspiration of peoples in the Middle East. In fact, other regional countries such as Iraq and Oman have also made contributions to the reconciliation.
China, of course, never hesitates to support and facilitate such endeavors conducive to peace, harmony, and development in the Middle East and the world at large. Following the initiative of President Xi Jinping and the consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran, friendly talks were held in Beijing in early March between the two countries, leading to the Beijing Agreement. One month later, the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran met in Beijing, signing a joint statement to announce the resumption of diplomatic ties.
It is the trust in China by parties involved that enabled us to give a hand in this process. It is a trust in our persistent positions on and policy towards the Middle East, our long-held principles guiding diplomacy, and our constructive role in today’s world.
China always believes that the fate of the Middle East should be in the hands of countries in the region. Ever since the mid-20th century, China has firmly supported the struggle of Middle East countries to break free from colonial rule and strive for self-determination. During the Iran-Iraq war, China firmly opposed interference by superpowers, supported the mediation of the UN Secretary-General, and contributed to the adoption of UNSC Resolution 598 which paved way for the peace. Since the end of the Cold War, on all events or issues that matter for peace in the Middle East and well-being of the people therein, such as the Gulf War, the Second Gulf War, the Afghan War, the Iranian nuclear issue and the Syrian crisis, China has been committed to fairness and justice, to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity of Middle East countries, and to the resolution of differences through dialogue and negotiation.
Actually those are the doctrines guiding China’s foreign policy elsewhere, namely respecting the sovereignty and independence of regional countries, respecting their prime role in regional affairs, supporting unity and cooperation among developing countries, supporting dialogue and consultation as means of resolving differences, and opposing external interference as well as manipulated confrontation out of selfish interests. It is China’s commitment to and practice of these doctrines that earn us the trust from developing countries, including those in the Middle East.
As an Arabic proverb says, “those who act with patience will realize their wishes.” Peace, stability, and prosperity have always been the aspiration of people in the Middle East. We are pleased to see that the continued improvement of Saudi-Iran ties has not only turned a new page in their bilateral relations, but also set an example for resolving differences through dialogue and consultation. We can see a wave of reconciliation among Middle East countries thereafter. In March, Syria and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement to reopen their respective Embassies in each other’s capital. In April, Syrian Foreign Minister made his first visit to Saudi Arabia in 12 years. In May, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad returned to the Arab League Summit. Also in May, we saw the announcement of the resumption of diplomatic ties between Bahrain and Lebanon, and the decision of Qatar and Bahrain to resume diplomatic relations. Egypt and Turkey agreed to elevate their diplomatic relations and re-send Ambassadors. Positive progress has also been made in the Yemen peace process.
We wish an early resolution of the Palestinian question in particular, since it remains the key issue in the Middle East. As our Indonesian friends are aware, China has been a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian national liberation cause. Just 10 days ago, H.E. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, paid a state visit to China. During their meeting, President Xi Jinping put forward a three-point proposal on the Palestinian question, highlighting the establishment of an independent state of Palestine, more international development assistance and humanitarian aid, and the right direction of peace talks. This three-point proposal has been warmly welcomed and highly commended by Palestine and other countries in the Middle East. China will continue to uphold justice and make unremitting effort to seek a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question at an early date.
Ladies and gentlemen,
China’s mediation is actually a successful practice of President Xi Jinping's Global Security Initiative (GSI). The world is facing the rising trend of anti-globalization and bloc confrontation, compromised international order, and challenges to regional cooperation. In light of such developments, President Xi Jinping has put forward Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI) and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), which were warmly applauded around the world.
—— Global Development Initiative (GDI)
In September 2021, President Xi Jinping proposed GDI to address development challenges such as imbalance and bottlenecks. GDI advocated prioritizing development, putting public well-being at the center, and enhancing inclusiveness, innovation, harmonious coexistence between people and nature, and practical action. GDI conforms to the common aspiration of the world. In less than two years, it has received explicit support from over 100 countries and international organizations. More than 60 countries, including Indonesia, have joined the Group of Friends of GDI.
While focusing on its own development, China has been committed to common development all over the world. Ten years ago, President Xi Jinping proposed the One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR) in Kazakhstan and Indonesia. It aims to promote connectivity in policy-making, infrastructure, trade, financing, and people-to-people bonds. It seeks to create synergy, eliminate bottlenecks, and enhance assistance in development. Over the past decade, more than 150 countries and regions as well as over 30 international organizations have become part of OBOR cooperation, generating nearly a trillion dollars of investment and creating 420,000 jobs. According to the World Bank, OBOR cooperation has increased trade by 4.1% and FDI by 5% for participating parties, and GDP by 3.4% for low-income countries. Owing to OBOR, by 2030, 7.6 million people will come out of absolute poverty, and 32 million people out of moderate poverty.
OBOR cooperation in the past decade has deepened mutually beneficial cooperation between China and neighboring countries. It was in this past decade that China has become and maintained Indonesia's largest trading partner. Also, China and ASEAN have become each other's largest trading partner.
Four days ago, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, a collaborative project between China and Indonesia, successfully completed a test run reaching 350 kilometers per hour. When completed, the Railway will greatly facilitate the movement of people and flow of goods in Indonesia's most dynamic area, and will also increase employment and points of economic growth in areas along the route, which entail further economic and social implications at a larger scale.
In the past few years, despite various difficulties including unexpected challenges like COVID-19, despite external interference including noises from those who always nitpick China-Indonesia joint ventures while being reluctant to make contributions themselves, the Indonesian Government has always been steadfast in advancing the infrastructure construction for the purpose of long-term economic development and people's well-being. The construction teams from both China and Indonesia work together to overcome various difficulties in the construction process. We highly appreciate that.
China is firmly committed to development cooperation in this region. We also hope that other parties will respect the aspiration of countries in this region for development, respect their right to choosing a development path suitable for their own national conditions, and respect their legitimate demands to promote industrial upgrading and advance towards the higher end of the industrial chain.
A dangerous trend is that certain country attempts to contain development of other countries on the pretext of national security or ideology, and impose decoupling or the so-called "de-risking" on the international community. In doing so, they do not shy away from double standards, namely, they claim to be entitled to "de-risking" other countries but not vice versa. This undermines normal economic ties and the economic order generally accepted by the international community.
Six days ago, during his visit in Germany, Chinese Premier Li Qiang indicated that technologies and products from German companies like Volkswagen, Siemens have long been widely used in China, and the Chinese people never felt insecure or at risk, let alone attempting any "de-risking". Chancellor Scholz also responded by welcoming Chinese EV companies to invest in Germany, looking forward to driving a China made EV in Germany. And Chancellor Scholz doesn’t believe that German business community would take China as a "risk". Responsible statesmen are of course very clear about their fundamental national interests and would never pull the chestnuts out of fire at the cost of their own country's development.
Some of my Indonesian friends told me that Indonesia has benefited a lot in OBOR cooperation, but is now faced with initiatives that are obviously designed to compete with China's investment cooperation, such as the “Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment” (PGII), the “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework” (IPEF), and the “Just Energy Transition Partnership” (JETP). I made it clear to my Indonesian friends that China's OBOR is aimed at common development and by no means intended to compete with other development initiatives. On the contrary, we welcome other countries, especially those with more capabilities, to make contributions in investment and assistance to developing countries. We do hope that the investment commitments pledged in PGII, IPEF and JETP will be fulfilled at an early date. China's initiative on development cooperation is open to all, never excluding anybody. This is fundamentally different from some of the above-mentioned initiatives. In fact, we welcome more partners to participate in OBOR cooperation and the GDI!
—— Global Security Initiative(GSI)
In April 2022, shortly after the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping put forward the GSI. Focusing on global security issues of common concern, GSI suggests that we should uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, commit to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, take seriously the legitimate security concerns of all countries, resolve differences and disputes among countries peacefully through dialogue and consultation, and preserve security in both traditional and non-traditional areas.
Today is the UN Charter Day. Exactly 78 years ago, the UN Charter was signed in San Francisco. China was the first country to sign on it. We always follow the UN Charter and the widely accepted norms of international law. We always call on those who have proposed the so-called "rules-based international order" to clarify whether their so-called "rules" are identical to the UN Charter. Like the vast majority of countries, we cannot accept the so-called "rules" that any country or small group unilaterally writes, interprets, and selects at their own will. No country or small group is in the position to impose such "rules" in the name of "international rules" on the international community.
One of the core contents of the basic norms of international relations is the principle of respect for national sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs as clearly stipulated in Chapter I of the UN Charter. It is fair to say that this principle is what developing countries most value.
Some Indonesian friends asked me about the situation across the Taiwan Strait. I am very please that most of Indonesian friends are clear about the nature of the Taiwan question. Just like the Papua issue to Indonesia, the Taiwan question concerns China’s core interests in sovereignty and territorial integrity. I highly appreciate that most of my Indonesian friends do not buy the fallacy of "China is changing the status quo across the Taiwan Strait", which is a mere slander by certain countries.
Here we must get to the bottom of it. What is the "status quo" of the Taiwan question? The fundamental status quo is that, first of all, Taiwan, as a part of China, has never been a country, not in the history, not now. This has been confirmed by international legal instruments such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, which laid the foundation for post-war international relations. Second, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have not yet achieved complete reunification though, China's sovereignty and territorial integrity have never been and cannot be separated. There is only one China. This is clearly stipulated in legal documents on both sides of the Strait.
You are well aware that the Taiwan question has been the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations. We must point out that the commitment made by the US Government on the Taiwan question is also very clear. That is the One China principle contained in all the three China-US Joint Communiqués, that is specifically the US pledge of not pursuing a policy of "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" as contained in paragraph 5 of the 1982 China-US Joint Communiqué. What the US should do is to observe its commitments and cease to manipulate separatist forces and moves on the Taiwan island to create tensions and crises.
As an Asia-Pacific member, China cherishes peace, security and stability in the region. We firmly oppose any attempt to stoke confrontation, especially military confrontation, or moves jeopardizing common security.
NATO is a product of the confrontation between military blocs during the Cold War. Recently, there is an attempt to introduce NATO into the region, or even create an Asia-Pacific version of NATO. We should not allow the tragedy that happened in Europe to repeat itself in Asia-Pacific. We call on countries in the region to keep high vigilance.
The US-UK-Australia nuclear submarine cooperation directly violates Article 2 of the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It will impair the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and undermine the security interests of regional countries. We call on all parties to respect the status of Southeast Asia as a nuclear-weapon-free zone. China has stated repeatedly that we are ready to be the first to sign the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. We call on other nuclear-weapon states to do the same.
The Japanese Government's decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean has aroused widespread concern from the international community, including its neighboring countries, Pacific island countries, and countries with fishery resources. Although the Japanese Government tried to design methods to prove the "safety" of the water contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear power plant, it still fails to answer a basic question from the international community, namely if the Japanese Government believes that the "treated" nuclear contaminated water is safe, why does Japan refuse to simply discharge it into its internal waters or recycle it within the country? Why is Japan bent on discharging it into the high seas? Many countries and regions have expressed serious concerns to the Japanese Government and will take rigorous measures against Japanese seafood imports. There are even consumers indicating that they will consider changing their dietary structure to avoid excessive intake of seafood in the following years. This will deal a blow to global fisheries. We call on the Japanese Government to seriously consider the safety of the public in the international community, and immediately stop the wrong practice of discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean and endangering the global coastline and marine ecosystem.
—— Global Civilization Initiative (GCI)
In the past March, President Xi Jinping proposed the GCI. GCI advocates respect for the diversity of civilizations, insists on equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, calls for cultural exchanges over estrangement, mutual learning over clashes, coexistence over feelings of superiority. GCI advocates the common values of humanity, namely peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, calls for refraining from imposing one’s own values or models on others and from stoking ideological confrontation. GCI advocates the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
At the heart of the GCI is equality in civilization. A month ago, my colleagues and I made a special trip to Bandung to visit the famous Museum of the Asian-African Conference. The Bandung Conference 68 years ago was a milestone of solidarity and cooperation among developing countries. Asian and African countries suffered from colonial aggression in modern history, and finally achieved national independence and liberation after arduous struggles. The Ten Principles of the Bandung Conference was established by those developing countries that have restored their national dignity. The Principles highlight that all countries, big or small, are equal. This is also the basic principle that developing countries, including China and Indonesia, stick to in international relations. Mutual appreciation of civilization and cultural coexistence is supposed to transcend feelings of superiority. We do not accept any condescending practice of self-proclaimed superiority, we do not accept anyone’s assumption that it is in the position to dictate others in international relations.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. China-Indonesia relations have been able to grow rapidly on all fronts over the past decade, precisely because they are based on equality, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. As major developing countries, China and Indonesia share common interests and similar positions in safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity, in concentrating on economic growth to benefit the people, in maintaining peace, security and prosperity in the region, and in promoting common interests of the developing world. China-Indonesia cooperation also sets a fine example of strength through unity among developing countries. Our two Presidents already set the general direction of jointly building the China-Indonesia community with a shared future. China will continue to work with Indonesia to make greater contributions to the well-being of our two peoples, to the enduring peace and stability in Asia-Pacific, to the solidarity and cooperation among developing countries, and to the world peace, stability and prosperity!
Thank you all.
Now I would like to take your questions.
