Xi Holds Talks with Cuban President to Advance Ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Beijing on November 8， calling on the two countries to cherish their traditional friendship and write a new chapter in China-Cuba friendly cooperation. Xi also encouraged both countries to further consolidate mutual trust and support， conduct win-win cooperation， and enhance exchanges on governance.

The two countries should continue to support each other on issues concerning core interests and major concerns， said Xi， adding that China has been supporting Cuba and will continue to firmly support it in safeguarding its national sovereignty and choosing a socialist path that suits its national situation. Hailing Cuba as a great country， Xi said it has won the respect of the world by insisting on its own development path despite difficulties and obstacles the country has faced over the past 50 years.

China welcomes Cubas participation in the Belt and Road Initiative， said Xi. He also called on both sides to enhance cooperation in areas of trade， energy， agriculture， tourism， and biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Diaz-Canel said that Cuba appreciates Chinas lasting support， and the new generation of Cuban leaders will staunchly continue the traditional friendship with China.

Cuba is willing to learn from China to update its economic and social model， and promote the cause of socialist construction， said Diaz-Canel. He called on both countries to maintain high-level exchanges and political dialogue， strengthen cooperation on trade， education and culture， and enhance communication and coordination on international affairs.

Premier Li Keqiang Attends the 13th East Asia Summit

On November 15， Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attended the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore. In attendance at the summit were the leaders of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as Australia， China， India， Japan， New Zealand， Russia， South Korea， and the United States.

Li said that since the beginning of the East Asia Summit 13 years ago， it has become a major platform for dialogue and cooperation in the region， and played an important role in boosting mutual understanding， maintaining regional peace and stability， and promoting development and prosperity.

The Chinese premier made a five-point proposal for furthering regional cooperation. It included adhering to multilateralism， safeguarding free trade， expediting regional economic integration， boosting regional cooperation on sustainable development， and conducting political and security dialogue.

Leaders attending the summit called for joint efforts to better synergize development strategies and enhance cooperation on sustainable development， connectivity， and blue economy.

The leaders also agreed that countries also need to jointly address global challenges such as cyber security， terrorism， and climate change， and resolve regional hotspot issues via diplomatic means. They also pledged to speed up negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership， and enhance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation in the region.

Second Round of China-U.S. Diplomatic and Security Dialogue Sends the World a Positive Signal

The second round of China-U.S. Diplomatic and Security Dialogue was held in Washington D.C. on November 9. Yang Jiechi， member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Foreign Affairs， U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis co-chaired the dialogue. Chinese Defense Minister and State Councilor Wei Fenghe also attended the event.

During the meetings， the two sides conducted in-depth discussions about the preparations for the upcoming meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Argentina， and exchanged views on issues of major concerns.

The Chinese side emphasized that China will steadfastly stick to the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics， continue to reform and open up， maintain peaceful development， and work with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind. China will not seek hegemony in any form or challenge or replace the place of any major country in the world. China is committed， together with the U.S.， to achieving peaceful and non-confrontational relations， mutual respect and win-win cooperation， and thus contribute to peace， stability， and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world.

The U.S. side is also ready to strengthen communication and cooperation with China on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues.

“The two sides should actively promote bilateral communication and cooperation to propel China-Australia relations. The Chinese side is willing to work with the Australian side， in the spirit of greater mutual openness， to advance exchanges and cooperation in such fields as economy and trade， people-to-people and cultural contacts， defense， safety and law enforcement. We stand ready to work with the Australian side to strengthen communication and coordination on multilateral mechanisms， jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade， intensify the international system and order with the United Nations at its core， and jointly build an open world economy.”

On November 8， 2018， State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the comments during the fifth round of China-Australia Diplomatic and Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Minister Marise Payne of Australia in Beijing.