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Liu He， member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China（CPC） and director of the General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs， addressed the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2018 in Davos， Switzerland.

“Chinas economy has been transitioning from a phase of rapid growth to one of high-quality development. It is in this context that China formulates its macroeconomic， structural reform and social policies for the coming years. Sticking to the main task of advancing supply-side structural reform， China continues to prevent and resolve major risks to the economy， put more targeted efforts to lift more people out of poverty， and fight against pollution. The country will open wider to the world across the board and put efforts to advance the Belt and Road Initiative. Moreover， China will stand firm for multilateralism， for a multilateral trading system， and for common development and progress.”

Chinese Premier Meets with Japanese FM in Beijing

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on January 28， 2018.

Li said China-Japan ties have maintained sound momentum towards continuous improvement. “We have noticed recent positive comments of the Japanese side on its relations with China，” he added. However， bilateral relations are still confronted by uncertainties. He urged both sides to cherish the momentum for improvement of ties and emphasized that China-Japan relations are not only of great significance to both countries， but also to the region and the world. Li hoped the Japanese side could learn lessons from history and face up to the future， and create a sound environment for expanding win-win cooperation， restarting relevant dialogue mechanisms， and boosting regional cooperation.

Konos visit came as the two countries celebrated the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Kono said Japan hopes to take the anniversary to upgrade bilateral ties to a new stage.

Second Ministerial Meeting of China-CELAC Forum Opens up New Cooperation Areas

The Second Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States（CELAC） was inaugurated in Chile on January 22， 2018. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the convening of the meeting.

Xi pointed out that since the first ministerial meeting was held in January 2015， with the joint efforts of China and Latin America and the Caribbean （LAC）， the China-CELAC Forum has become a main channel for overall cooperation between both sides， bringing along fruitful achievements in cooperation in various fields. The Chinese people would like to join hands with peoples of all LAC countries to make greater contributions to pushing forward the building of a community with a shared future for humankind.

China and LAC countries have ushered in the Pacific Maritime Silk Road in history. Today， both sides should draw a new blueprint for the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative， forge a cooperative path across the Pacific Ocean， and more closely connect together the two wealthy lands of China and LAC， so as to open up a brand new era of China-LAC relations.

China Publishes Arctic Policy， Eyeing Vision of Silk Road on Ice

Chinas State Council Information Office published a white paper on its Arctic policy on January 26， 2018， pledging cooperative governance and elaborating a vision for the Silk Road on ice.

According to the white paper， Chinese enterprises are encouraged to participate in infrastructure development for Arctic shipping routes and conduct commercial trial voyages in line with the law for their commercial operation. Placing great importance on navigational security， China has actively conducted studies on Arctic shipping routes and continuously strengthened hydrographic surveys to improve navigation， security， and logistics in the Arctic.

As a responsible major country， China vows to participate in Arctic affairs in accordance with the basic principles of respect， cooperation， win-win results， and sustainability. It is ready to cooperate with all relevant parties to seize the historic opportunity in the development of the Arctic and address the challenges brought by the changes in the region. The country would like to jointly understand， protect， develop， and participate in the governance of the Arctic， and advance Arctic-related cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.