Associated Press of Pakistan:

The Central Conference on Work Related to Neighboring Countries was held in Beijing this April. President Xi Jinping called for building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries and opening new ground to the work related to the neighboring countries. Can you update us on progress related to that front? Thank you.

Ma Zhaoxu:

China has always prioritized its neighborhood in its overall diplomacy and has consistently worked to promote regional peace, stability, development and prosperity. As you said, the Central Conference on Work Related to Foreign Affairs with Neighboring Countries held in April this year clarified the goals, tasks, ideas?and measures?for neighborhood?work in the coming period. The conference emphasized the need to focus on building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries, working together to create a better future.

The construction of a community with a shared future with neighboring countries is making continuous progress and reaching new heights. President Xi Jinping has visited nearly all of our neighboring countries. Following the 18th, 19th and 20th CPC National Congresses, his first overseas visits were consistently to neighboring countries, ushering China's relations with its neighbors into the best period in modern history. China has announced its commitment to join efforts with many neighboring countries to build bilateral communities of shared future. The country has advanced the development of a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future and achieved complete coverage in jointly building communities of shared future with countries on the Indochina Peninsula and in Central Asia at both the bilateral and multilateral levels.

China has signed Belt and Road Initiative cooperation agreements with 25 neighboring countries and has become the largest trading partner for 18 of them. China and ASEAN have been each other's largest trading partners for five consecutive years. Negotiations on the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area have concluded, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is progressing with high-quality implementation. Economic cooperation industrial parks, cross-border e-commerce hubs, and smart agriculture networks have been established in neighboring countries, generating substantial job opportunities for locals. There is a broad consensus among neighboring countries that cooperation with China brings both respect and tangibly benefits.

China advocates an Asian security model based on shared security concerns, seeking common ground while preserving differences, and dialogue and consultation. We have actively contributed Chinese wisdom and strength to advance political solutions to regional hotspot issues like those on the Korean Peninsula and in Afghanistan.

China promotes Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, implementing measures to facilitate people-to-people exchanges. The country has advanced the implementation of the "Lancang-Mekong Visa," the "ASEAN Visa" and visa exemptions with several Southeast Asian countries, leading to expanding exchanges between China and its neighboring countries in culture, tourism, youth affairs, local governance, media and think tanks.

China will actively practice the guiding principles of fostering amity, security, prosperity, sincerity and mutual benefit to build a shared future with neighboring countries. This way, we will write a new chapter of building a community with a shared future among neighboring countries. Thank you.