Exchanges

Xi and Erdo an Speak of Strengthening Relations at Turkey-China Business Forum

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdo？an spoke at the Turkey-China Business Forum in Beijing on July 30. Xi said the two countries should give full play to the role of the bilateral viceprime-ministerial inter-governmental cooperation committee and work together in such sectors as politics， economy， trade， security and cultural exchanges.

Both sides， Xi stressed， should focus on the key cooperation fields of high-speed rail and new energy， and advance collaboration in the emerging fields of aerospace， finance and investment. The Chinese government will continue to encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Turkey and expand cooperation with their Turkish counterparts， Xi said， adding that he hopes Turkey will create a better investment environment for Chinese entrepreneurs.

Xi stressed that businesspeople from both countries are participants and promoters of bilateral economic and trade cooperation， and their efforts are needed to translate the potential of bilateral cooperation into concrete results.

Erdo？an， in his speech at the forum， said that in recent years， Turkey-China economic and trade relations have developed rapidly， becoming a vital driving force for bilateral relations. The president asserted that Turkey supports The Belt and Road Initiative and the Silk Road Fund and will take an active part in related projects. The Turkish government， he said， welcomes increased Chinese investment in Turkey and will create a favorable environment toward this end.

China Season of 2015 China-U.K. Year of Cultural Exchange Launched in London

The China Season of the 2015 China-U.K. Year of Cultural Exchange was launched in London in August， unveiling a series of events that will run till December. China and the U.K. chose 2015 as their Year of Cultural Exchange during Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs visit to Britain last year. The event comes on the heels of the first half of the U.K. Culture Season in China， which saw wide participation. The China Season will present activities in the fields of drama， music， dance， design， fashion and new media， which aim to showcase Chinas present-day cultural innovations. The Chinese version of Richard III， staged at Shakespeares Globe in London in July， was a prelude to the China Season. Chinas leading performing groups， such as the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Band and the Tianjin Theater for Children， as well as renowned pianists Lang Lang and Wang Yujia participated in the Edinburgh Art Festival in August. Chinese designs will also be seen at the London Fashion Week in September.endprint

Chinese Foreign Minister Offers 10-point Proposal on China-ASEAN Cooperation

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the ASEANChina Ministerial Meeting（10+1） in Kuala Lumpur， Malaysia， on August 5 that China is ready to deepen its relationship with the Southeast Asian group through a new 10-point proposal.

First， plans shall be made for activities to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue next year. And 2016 shall be designated as the year of China-ASEAN educational exchanges.

Second， the formulation of the Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity （2016-2020） shall be finished.

Third， a working group shall be formed to discuss the signing of a China-ASEAN treaty on good neighborliness， friendship and cooperation.

Fourth， cooperation on international production capacity shall be carried out to drive forward China-ASEAN complementary economic growth and their common renewal.

Fifth， connectivity shall be advanced. China would like to consult with ASEAN on the formulation of an overall plan regarding connectivity， keeping it in line with ASEANs own plans.

Sixth， efforts shall be made to ensure that the year of China-ASEAN maritime cooperation in 2015 is a success， creating new areas for maritime cooperation.

Seventh， efforts shall be made to promote sub-regional development. The LancangMekong dialogue and cooperation mechanism shall be launched so that the mechanism and the Greater Mekong Sub-region Economic Cooperation program can reinforce each other， helping narrow the intra-ASEAN development gap and give more support to building the ASEAN community.

Eighth， the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone shall be signed as soon as possible. China is sure to take the lead in signing the protocol.

Ninth， defense and security cooperation shall be strengthened. China welcomes the attendance of the ASEAN defense ministers and the ASEAN secretarygeneral at the informal China-ASEAN defense ministers meeting to be held in China for the first time in mid-October.

Tenth， peace and stability in the South China Sea shall be jointly upheld. Disputes shall be properly handled， peace maintained and cooperation boosted to produce mutually beneficial results.endprint