中国新闻与报道. Statement by President Hu Jintao at the Nuclear Security Summit. Remarks by President Hu Jintao at the BRIC Summit

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1 China News and Report 中国新闻与报道 NO. 10 May 15, 2010 Statement by President Hu Jintao at the Nuclear Security Summit Remarks by President Hu Jintao at the BRIC Summit Joining the Yushu Relief Effort President Hu Jintao changes his itinerary after earthquake strikes Qinghai Province Meeting the Nuclear Security Challenge and Promoting Peace and Development Together Statement by Hu Jintao, President of the People s Republic of China, at the Nuclear Security Summit (Washington, D.C., April 13, 2010) Nuclear security concerns sustainable development of nuclear energy and the wider economy. It bears on social stability and public safety, and affects international peace and tranquility. The development and utilization of nuclear energy was one of the greatest scientific and technological achievements of the 20th century. It brought benefits to the people and spurred human progress. With the advent of the 21st century, the demand for nuclear energy has grown significantly to meet the need to tackle climate change and ensure energy security. The nuclear industry has shown a strong growth momentum, and nuclear energy has played a greater role in economic and social development. On the other hand, a complex and fluid global security situation has highlighted nuclear security as a Published by the Editorial Board of Information Office of the State Council, People s Republic of China Printed by Foreign Languages Printing House, Beijing, China

2 growing concern of the international community. With non-traditional security issues becoming more prominent, the potential threat of nuclear terrorism cannot be neglected, and the risk of nuclear material ending up in the wrong hands and illicit trafficking is on the rise. It is incumbent upon all countries to address properly nuclear security challenges, ensure sustained and sound development of nuclear energy, and uphold international security and stability. Enhanced nuclear security serves the interests of all countries and requires concerted action. I wish to propose, in this connection, that we take earnest steps in these five areas: First, honoring national commitments and responsibilities. All countries should pay more attention to the issue of nuclear security, fulfill their relevant international obligations, and reinforce domestic legislation and regulatory control. We should adopt effective measures to secure nuclear materials and facilities in our respective jurisdictions, promote nuclear security culture, improve export controls, and enhance security capacity. Second, consolidating the existing international legal framework. We should work for the early application of the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, and promote universality of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. We should fully implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions, effectively fight illicit trafficking of nuclear material, and prevent non-state actors from obtaining such material. Third, strengthening international cooperation. Countries should make good use of existing multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms and channels to share experience in nuclear security and intensify information exchanges and law enforcement cooperation. We should support the leading role of the IAEA in the field of nuclear security, and take full advantage of the platform provided by the IAEA to support national nuclear security efforts. We may also explore ways to jointly develop nuclear technologies that can help reduce security risks significantly. Fourth, helping developing countries enhance their nuclear security capacity. The IAEA and developed countries should offer greater economic, technical and human resources assistance to developing countries in order to achieve nuclear security for all. In doing so, they should respect the wishes of developing countries and act in light of their real needs and existing conditions. Fifth, properly handling the relationship between nuclear security and peaceful use of nuclear energy. Security measures should help foster enabling environments for peaceful use of nuclear energy by all countries and facilitate related international cooperation. Taking a responsible attitude, China attaches great importance to the issue of nuclear security and firmly opposes nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism. We have made vigorous efforts in these areas: Building nuclear security capacity in an allround way. We have put in place a fairly complete legislative and regulatory framework for nuclear security, and taken effective steps to ensure the security of materials and facilities. We have endeavored to promote a security culture in the nuclear industry, and applied rigorous export controls. We have worked to prevent illicit trafficking of nuclear materials according to laws and regulations and maintained a good record in nuclear security. Honoring international nuclear security obligations. China supports and has strictly complied with existing international nuclear security conventions and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We ratified the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material in We have started the domestic ratification process for the 2 may 15, 2010

3 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and will move this process forward actively. Valuing and taking an active part in international cooperation on nuclear security. China has given active support to IAEA s work in nuclear security. China is an initial partner of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. We have conducted bilateral exchanges with many countries. During the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, we enjoyed good cooperation with the IAEA and relevant countries in the field of nuclear security. We will continue with this cooperation at this year s Shanghai World Expo. For important events, China is ready to share its experiences on nuclear security with other countries. Actively providing nuclear security assistance to other developing countries. In recent years, China has provided assistance within the realm of its capabilities to other countries in the region by way of technology demonstration and personnel training. We are considering setting up a nuclear security Center of Excellence in China through cooperation with other countries in order to play a bigger role in regional nuclear security cooperation. It is the shared aspiration of mankind that nuclear energy is used solely for peaceful purposes. China has consistently stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons and stayed firmly committed to a strategy of nuclear self-defense. We have adhered to the policy of not using nuclear weapons first at any time or in any circumstance. China has made the unequivocal commitment that we will unconditionally not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. We firmly oppose nuclear weapons proliferation, and strongly support efforts to enhance international nuclear security and the equal right of all countries to peaceful use of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is clean, and it must also be safe and secure. I am convinced that so long as we all play our part and work closely together to build consensus and pursue win-win cooperation, we will effectively meet nuclear security challenges, advance sustainable development in all respects, and contribute to enduring peace and common prosperity of the world. Cooperation, Openness, Mutual Benefit and Win-Win Strategy Remarks by Hu Jintao, President of the People s Republic of China, at the BRIC Summit (Brasilia, April 15, 2010) It gives me great pleasure to join you again in the beautiful city of Brasilia. Let me begin by expressing sincere thanks to President Lula and the Brazilian Government for the thoughtful arrangements they have made for this meeting. When we met in Yekaterinburg last June, the world economy was in the quagmire of the international financial crisis. Major economies ran into recession, and the work and life of people around the world were seriously affected. In the face of a gloomy economic picture, the four BRIC countries came together and sent a strong message that we would work for the early recovery of the world economy. Through hard efforts, we became the first to achieve an economic may 15,

4 turnaround. And thanks to the concerted efforts of the international community, the world economy has shown signs of recovery and is expected to gradually emerge from the financial crisis. At the same time, we must realize that the world economic recovery is not yet firmly established or balanced, and there are still many uncertainties down the road. We have seen recently the rise of sovereign debt risks in some countries, fluctuations in international financial markets, surging protectionism in various forms and a grave employment situation in some parts of the world. Global challenges such as climate change, food security, energy and resource security, public health security and major natural disasters are intertwined, and the deep-seated problems in world economic governance structure have yet to be addressed. In short, there is still a long way to go before the world economy can achieve sustainable growth. Over the past year, we have broadened the scope and increased the levels of dialogue and cooperation among our four countries, and our efforts have produced fruitful results. Our four countries differ in political system, development model, religious belief and cultural tradition, but we have become good friends and partners. This shows that countries with different social systems can be inclusive toward each other and countries with different development models can engage in cooperation. It also shows that different civilizations can learn from each other and different cultures can have exchanges. Our endeavor is in keeping with the trend towards peace and development and answers the call of our time for cooperation and mutual benefit. BRIC cooperation now faces both valuable opportunities and severe challenges. We should set clear objectives for cooperation among the four countries and advance the BRIC cooperation process from a strategic height. We should base our cooperation on political mutual trust and treat each other with sincerity, mutual respect, mutual understanding and mutual support. We should focus on practical cooperation and make our cooperation more dynamic through concrete actions. We should strengthen institution building to support increased cooperation in broader areas. We should aim for mutual benefit by combining our respective strengths and sharing the fruits of cooperation to the fullest extent. We should view openness and transparency as the prerequisite of our cooperation and strengthen communication and exchanges to make our cooperation an open process. The international situation is now very complex, and the global pattern is undergoing profound readjustment. No matter how the international situation may evolve and what changes the international system may experience, we should remain firmly committed to the goal of mutual benefit, the principle of democracy and equity, the approach of mutual respect and the spirit of solidarity and cooperation. We should encourage all parties to firm up the foundation of the world economic recovery and strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination. The international community coordinated the entry strategy in response to the financial crisis, and we must also act in coordination with respect to the exit strategy and maintain the continuity and stability of macroeconomic policies. We should encourage all parties to address imbalances in the global economic governance structure. It is important to achieve on schedule the quantified reform targets for international financial institutions set by the G20 Pittsburgh Summit and increase the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries. We should encourage all parties to continue to promote trade liberalization and facilitation, properly handle trade disputes and reject protectionism. The main parties to the Doha Round negotiations should demonstrate sincerity and flexibility to reach compre- 4 may 15, 2010

5 hensive and balanced outcomes at an early date and facilitate the establishment of an open and mutually beneficial multilateral trade regime. We should encourage all parties to improve the international financial supervisory and regulatory regime by expanding its scope, specifying responsibilities, adopting universally accepted standards and norms and strengthening mechanisms. There should be supervision over the macroeconomic policies of major reserve currency issuing economies and over sovereign credit rating agencies. We should encourage all parties to embrace a stronger sense of responsibility and morality and work for balanced global development. It is important to scale up input in development and ensure development resources and at the same time respect each other s development model chosen in light of national conditions and policy space. In September, the United Nations will hold the High-level Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals. We need to urge the international community, particularly developed countries, to honor commitments in increased assistance, debt relief, market access and technology transfer and help developing countries promote economic growth, improve people s well-being and meet the Millennium Development Goals. To maintain and advance dialogue and cooperation among BRIC countries, China would like to host the third BRIC Summit. China has scored notable achievements over the past 30-odd years since reform and opening up. Now many people are interested to know what kind of country China is likely to be in the future. What will it say and what will it do? How is it going to treat old friends and how is it going to treat new friends? Let me share with you, in this connection, the following observations. First, China s development is a long and arduous task. China is the world s biggest developing country. A large population, a weak foundation and uneven development: These are the basic realities confronting us. China has 1.3 billion people. Our per-capita GDP has just exceeded US$3,000, trailing behind more than 100 countries. According to UN standards, we still have over 100 million people living below the poverty line. It is truly a heavy task to grow the economy and improve people s livelihood in China. The scale and complexity of the challenges that we face in the course of development are unmatched anywhere else in the world and have been rarely seen in human history. To achieve modernization and ensure a prosperous life for all our people, we must make persistent efforts for a long time to come. Second, peaceful development is China s only and logical choice. The Chinese people love peace. It is our long-cherished tradition to foster harmony and build amicable ties with neighbors. China s development will not bring harm or pose a threat to anyone. We advocate and follow the principle of do not do onto others what you do not want others to do onto you. The Chinese people suffered so much in modern history, and we therefore value peace, stability, harmony and freedom more than anything else. China is committed to the path of peaceful development. A prosperous and growing China dedicated to peace and cooperation is willing and able to make new and even greater contributions to mankind s pursuit of peace and development. Third, China s development is an inclusive, winwin process. China pursues a win-win strategy of opening up and seeks to promote common development of all countries through mutually beneficial cooperation. Guided by the basic state policy of opening up, we have been endeavoring to develop an open economy, increase imports, actively use foreign investment, implement the FTA strategy at a faster pace, push forward regional economic integration, and share with other countries the benefits of expanding markets may 15,

6 and deepening division of labor. China has taken an active part in the international cooperation to counter the global financial crisis ever since it broke out. We have sent many trade and investment promotion missions and large procurement missions abroad. China has made great efforts to support and help developing countries. We have cancelled the debts owed by 49 heavily indebted poor countries and least developed countries and offered zero-tariff treatment to commodities from more than 40 least developed countries. Last November, we announced eight new measures in support of Africa s sustainable development. These measures will help expand China s trade with and investment in Africa, intensify practical cooperation between the two sides, build up Africa s capacity to achieve self-development, and strengthen our joint endeavor to counter the global financial crisis. Fourth, China takes a responsible approach in pursuing development. The year 2009 was the most difficult year for the Chinese economy since the beginning of the new century. The global financial crisis led to a sharp decline in China s exports, a big increase in unemployment and a slowdown in economic growth. Confronted with such a situation, we gave top priority to maintaining steady and relatively fast economic growth, and fully implemented and steadily improved our package plan and policy measures in response to the financial crisis. Thanks to these efforts, we achieved 8.7 percent GDP growth and made important contributions to the world economic recovery. To ensure steady and relatively fast growth, we have taken it as an important task to speed up the transformation of growth pattern and economic restructuring. We have worked hard to promote the coordinated growth of consumption, exports and investment, with a special emphasis on boosting domestic demand and increasing household consumption. We have no intention to seek a trade surplus. Quite the contrary, we have always placed high importance on achieving equilibrium in the balance of international payments in an effort to maintain macroeconomic stability. Last year, China s trade surplus dropped by US$102 billion over the previous year, yet our import of goods reached US$ trillion, making China the world s second largest importing country and presenting great opportunities for foreign goods and services. We have been following a managed floating exchange rate regime in accordance with the principles of independent initiative, controllability and gradualism. Despite the tremendous difficulties caused by the global financial crisis, we have kept the RMB exchange rate basically stable and have thus contributed to the stability of the international economic and financial systems. The Shanghai World Expo will open in two weeks. The World Expo is a great event for countries to increase economic and cultural exchanges and promote the progress of human civilization. On behalf of the Chinese Government and people, I warmly welcome friends from Brazil, India, Russia and all countries of the world to go to the beautiful city of Shanghai and join us for this great event. Together, we will contribute to and witness a successful, splendid and memorable World Expo. Joining the Yushu Relief Effort President Hu Jintao changes his itinerary after earthquake strikes Qinghai Province The Chinese Government is busy coordinating an emergency earthquake relief campaign. At this difficult moment, I need to return home as soon as possible to join our people in relief efforts. 6 may 15, 2010

7 Chinese President Hu Jintao, speaking to foreign leaders about his decision to conclude his tour ahead of schedule, showed his concern for the victims of the April 14 Yushu earthquake, which touched hearts all over China. Hu had wrapped up his attendance at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. when word came of the powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake. He immediately convened a meeting with other delegation members to analyze reports from China. Everybody was shocked by the loss of life and the enormous devastation in the disaster. Hu gave instructions promptly. On April 14, he told government departments to do all they could to address the aftermath of the earthquake while sparing no effort to rescue victims. He also called on them to improve earthquake monitoring and take measures to alleviate aftershocks, as well as take good care of residents and ensure social stability in earthquake-hit areas. He also ordered the military to dispatch planes to transport rescue teams from across China to the areas and send troops to take part in disaster relief. In line with Hu s instructions, the State Council established a command center for relief headed by Vice Premier Hui Liangyu. Hui traveled to the affected areas along with officials from departments of the State Council, the People s Liberation Army and the People s Armed Police Force to oversee relief efforts and console residents. Qinghai Province also implemented its own contingency plan and set up an on-the-spot command agency. A massive relief campaign started quickly. The timely rescue efforts were a reminder of the nationwide relief program after the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, The heroic Chinese people will not yield to any difficulty, President Hu said when visiting earthquake-hit areas two years ago. While attending diplomatic events overseas, Hu closely followed progress in earthquake relief back home. At a high altitude and with low temperatures, Yushu is populated by ethnic minorities including Tibetans. The area is largely poverty-stricken. Hu kept asking repeated questions about where the rescuers were, how they were getting on rescuing those buried in ruins, whether the wounded were receiving treatment, if related materials were reaching the zone and how local residents were being resettled. The president grew increasingly concerned as further news about the earthquake came in. He decided to cut short his trip to return to China as soon as possible. Originally, Hu was to attend the second BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries leaders summit in Brasilia and pay a state visit to Brazil from April Following that, he was to pay a state visit to Venezuela and a working visit to Chile. Given the complex changes in the international situation and the weak world economic recovery, the BRIC summit would have major implications in forging consensus, strengthening cooperation and coping with global challenges. BRIC leaders had already arrived in Brasilia with high expectations. In a bid to make Hu s early departure possible while still achieving expected outcomes, the Chinese delegation consulted with other parties to reschedule his itinerary. Shortly after arriving in Brasilia on April 14, Hu held a conference to address the matter. The president instructed Foreign Ministry officials to discuss adjusting the schedule of the second BRIC summit with the Brazilians, while consulting with Russia and India. Since Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was to arrive in Brasilia around 4 p.m. on April 15, the four countries decided to condense the summit originally scheduled to be held from April into the evening of April 15. In addition, China and Brazil agreed to reschedule Hu s visit to Brazil, while canceling events including the welcoming ceremony and ban- may 15,

8 quet. Brazilian, Russian and Indian officials said they fully understood China s decision. The three countries leaders and governments respectively sent their condolences to China shortly after the earthquake occurred. In their messages, Russia s President Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin conveyed their condolences to the wounded as well as the families of those killed in the earthquake and expressed Russia s readiness to assist with disaster relief. Medvedev once again conveyed his condolences on behalf of the Russian Government and people at a meeting with Hu in Brasilia. He reiterated that Russia, as a friendly neighbor, was willing to provide any help to China. Brazil s Ministry of External Relations said the Brazilian Government mourned the deaths of victims and conveyed its condolences to the Chinese Government and people. Meeting with Hu, Brazilian President Luis Ignacio Lula de Silva said he deeply sympathized with the Chinese Government and people. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dispatched an official to deliver his letter of condolence to the Chinese delegation before his meeting with Hu. He also told Hu the Indian people were saddened by the great devastation of the earthquake, and expressed sorrow for those killed. President Hu also made late-night phone calls to postpone his visits to Chile and Venezuela. Hu called Chilean President Michelle Bachelet at 11 p.m. on April 14. About an hour later, he had a telephone conversation with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, also on a foreign trip. After briefing the two presidents on the earthquake, Hu told them he had to postpone his visits. Both Bachelet and Chavez said they respected Hu s decision: Bachelet said she fully understood and supported Hu s decision to return to China ahead of schedule. On behalf of Chile s Government and people, she extended her condolences and sympathy to the Chinese people while Chile mourned the deaths of victims. Chavez said he understood Hu s decision to postpone his visit to Venezuela. Conveying his country s condolences and sympathy, he said Venezuela was willing to assist China in earthquake relief. In the first few days after the earthquake, a large number of foreign state leaders and heads of international and regional organizations sent letters and messages of sympathy to Chinese leaders, and otherwise conveyed their condolences to the Chinese Government and people. At a joint press conference after meeting with Brazilian President Lula, on behalf of the Chinese Government and people, President Hu thanked the international community for its condolences and support. On April 15, the last day of his trip, Hu attended 10 bilateral and multilateral events. He talked of the earthquake on each occasion and was also briefed about the latest developments in the disaster area on the sidelines of the events. At 11:30 p.m. on April 15, Hu s plane left Brazil for China. Hu spent the majority of the nearly 25-hour flight discussing plans for earthquake relief with high-level officials. Comments and suggestions from our readers are appreciated. shuangqin2004@china.com.cn Distributed by Circulation Department Address: 225 Chaoyangmennei Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing , People s Republic of China Tel: Available through the China Internet Information Center at and 8 may 15, 2010