Xi’s overseas trips in 2018

President Xi Jinping took a group photo in Port Moresby，the capital of Papua New Guinea，with leaders of Pacific islan countries，which have allestablished diplomatic relations with China.

President Xi Jinping made four overseas tripsin 2018. These trips included state visitsand global meetings， such as BRICS JohannesburgSummit，the fourth Eastern Economic Forum， the26th APEC Economic Leaders’Meeting and the 13thGroup of 20 Summit. Here， we take a look at Xi’sforeign visits.

“Nations are natural partners for building the Belt and Road.”

President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the UAEon July 19，2018. Xi called for joint efforts withthe United Arab Emirates to plan and carry out theflagship projects of the Belt and Road Initiative topromote the economic development of the MiddleEast and the Gulf region.

During the visit， the two countries established acomprehensive strategic partnership， and they signeda memorandum 0f understanding on implementingthe Belt and Road Initiative.

There is great potential and a bdght future forthe cooperation between China and the UAE， Xisaid， adding that the building of the China-UAEcomprehensive strategic partnership will deepenstrategic mutual trust and improve mutually beneficialcooperation.

Xi stressed that the two countries shouldstrengthen their political trust. continue to supporteach other's core interests and major concems， andsupport each other’s development on the path that fitseach country's situation.

China and the UAE are natural cooperativepartners for jointly building the Belt and Road， Xisaid， adding that China deems the UAE an importantsupporter of the Belt and Road.

He said the two countries should boostconnection of development strategies and enhancecommunications on industrial policies.

China would like to build a comprehensivesystem for energy cooperation with the UAE， deepeninvestment and financial cooperation and expandinnovative cooperation， Xi said.

“China is wiling to jojn handswiht Senegal to lift bilateral ties andcooperation to a higher level，so as to bring more benefits to both peoples.”

President Xi Jinping arrived at Senegal on July 21，2018 for a state visit to the country. Xi and SenegalesePresident Macky Sall spoke highly of the developmentof bilateral ties in recent years， and agreed to continueto make joint efforts and promote more fruitful resultsfrom cooperation in various fields.

The Chinese president expressed appreciation toSall for viewing their ties from a strategic perspective.positively responding to the Belt and Road Initiativeand strongly supporting China-Africa cooperation.

The two sides should carry out closer high-levelexchanges and support each other on issues concerningtheir core interests and major concem， Xi said.

Noting that the two countries should strengthenthe alignment of development strategies and policycommunication， Xi welcomed Senegal to be thefirst West African country to sign a Belt and Roadcooperation document with China.

“We had an in-depth exchange ofviews on advancing bilateral ties andcooperation for mutual benefits，andour consensus has seen comprehensiveimplementation.”

President Xi arrived in Kigali， Rwanda's capital，for a state visit to this country on July 23， 2018.Xi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagamewitnessed the signing of a number of cooperationdocuments covering such areas as investment， finance，e-commerce and law enforcement.

Xi said that Kagame， since becoming rotatingchairman of the African Union， has proactivelymaintained the unity and cooperation of Africa，pushing the building of free trade zones， and playedan important role in strengthening Africa.

Xi said that Rwanda has set an example for othercountries that are being rebuilt after wars and otherconflicts.

“Closer economic cooperation forshared prosperity is the original purposeand priority of BRICS cooperation.”

President Xi Jinping delivered a speech titled“Turn Our Vision into a Reality” at the PlenarySession of the lOth BRICS summit on July 26， 2018，in Johannesburg on South Africa.

BRICS countries must have a keen grasp of thetrend of our times， deepen our strategic partnership.and consolidate our cooperation frameworkunderpinned by economic， political and securitycooperation and people-to-people exchanges.President Xi Jinping said at the opening of the BRICSSummit. This way， we will be able to tum our visionof a second "Golden Decade" into a reality， andtogether build a community with a shared future formankind.

Closer economic cooperation for sharedprosperity is the original purpose and priority ofBRICS cooperation. It is also in the economic fieldthat we enjoy the most promising， diverse and fruitfulcooperation. We need to step up trade. investment，economic， financial. and connectivity cooperation tomake this pie still bigger.

Political and security cooperation is an importantcomponent of BRICS strategic partnership. By fullyleveraging the role of BRICS meetings of foreignministers， national security advisers and permanentrepresentatives to the United Nations， we can make ourvoice heard， put forth our solutions， and jointly work fora new type of intemational relations featuring mutualrespect， equality， justice and win-win cooperation.

BRICS countries boast great civilizations. Whenit comes to cultural and people-to-people exchanges，there is a lot we can do together. As a matter of fact，such exchanges have notably gained momentum overthe last year or two. We should aim at greater people-to-people connectivity and more popular support forBRICS cooperation through extensive exchanges incultural， educational， health， sports， tourism and otherareas. This way， we can spread the BRICS story farand wide to further enhance the mutual understandingand traditional friendship among our people.

Since the inception of the BRICS mechanism，openness and inclusiveness have remained ourabiding commitment. We may explore“BRICS Plus”cooperation within the United Nations， the G20，andother frameworks to advance the common interestsand boost the development space for emergingmarkets and developing countries， thus contributingmore to world peace and development throughbroader partnerships.

“China and Mauritius have enjoyedfriendly bilateral relations.”

President Xi Jinping arrived in Mauritius on July27， 2018 for a friendly visit to the country.

Xi said he felt the profound friendship the peopleand the govemment of Mauritius have towards theChinese people upon arrival.

China and Mauritius have enjoyed friendlybilateral relations， Xi said，adding that he looksforward to exchanging views with Mauritian PrimeMinister Pravind Jugnauth on bilateral relations andon intemational and regional issues of mutual concem.

“China would like to expandcooperation in the Far East of Russiaand the rest of Northeast Asia to sustaindemelopment and tncrease commoninterests.”

President Xi Jinping addressed the plenary sessionof the fourth Eastem Economic Forum （EEF） held inVladivostok in Russia's Far East on September 12， 2018.

China would like to expand cooperation in the FarEast of Russia and the rest of Northeast Asia to sustaindevelopment and increase common interests. PresidentXi Jinping said at the plenary session of the fourthEastem Economic Forum

Northeast Asian countries should boost mutual trustand safeguard regonal peace and stability as they facethe rise of unilateralism and protectionism Xi said.

Remarking that the population of Northeast Asia'ssix countries accounts for 23 percent of the globalpopulation and the region's GDP accounts for 19percent of the global economy， Xi said that a unitedand stable Northeast Asia would meet the interests ofall countries in the region.

The region has ample energy and resources. world-class capacity in scientific research and bountifulcapital and human resources. Xi said. The six countriesare capable of making full use of their advantages andenhancing cooperation in all areas. he said.

Xi called on the Northeast Asian countries toboost synergy of development strategies. saying thatChina and Russia have achieved an early harvestin connecting the Belt and Road Initiative with theEurasian Economic Union.

The Northeast Asian countries should focus onboosting interconnectivity across borders， improvingfree trade and iIlvestment facilitation， promoting theflow of goods， capital and technology and jointlybuilding an open regional economy， Xi said.

“We need to firmly uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system andsay no to protectionism.”

President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the26th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation EconomicLeaders’Meeting in Port Moresby， Papua NewGuinea， on November 18， 2018.

President Xi called on members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to advance regional integration so as to build an open economy in theregion. And he reaffirmed that China will continueto open up by significantly expanding market access，better protecting intellectual property rights， andmaking the investment and business environmentsmore attractive.

“We have reached a crossroads of history whenwe must have a keen appreciation of global trends andtake the pulse of the world economy，” he said.

APEC members should continue to promotetrade and investment liberalization， although the roadto a Free Trade Area for the Asia-Pacific will not besmooth， Xi said.

“We need to firmly uphold the rules-basedmultilateral trading system and say no to protectionism "he said noting that efforts should be undertaken to makeeconomic globalization more open， inclusive， balancedand beneficial for all.

The president also called for efforts to pursueinnovation-driven growth and foster new growthdrivers， improve connectivity to promote inclusivedevelopment， forge closer partnerships and jointlymeet common challenges.

“China deems Brunei an importantpartner to build the 21st CenturyMaritime Silk Road，and the twocountries should connect developmentstrategies to enhance mutually beneficialcooperation.”

China appreciates Brunei’s proposal to handledisputes via peaceful negotiations between the countriesinvolved and safeguard the stability of the South ChinaSea through efforts jointly made by countries of theregion， President Xi Jinping said during his state visit tothe country on November 19， 2018.

The two countries should continue to promotemaritime cooperation and build the South China Sea intoa sea of peace， friendship and coopeation， Xi added.

China and Brunei， with a long history of culturalexchanges， are not only close neighbors separated by thesea，but also trustworthy friends and partners， Xi said.

Xi said the two countries should enhancehigh-level exchanges to provide guidance for thedevelopment of bilateral relations.

China deems Brunei an important partner to buildthe 2lst Century Maritime Silk Road， and the twocountries should connect development strategies toenhance mutually beneficial cooperation， Xi said

The president welcomed Bruneian companies toexpand exports to China， saying that China would liketo enhance cooperation with Brunei in infrastructure，agriculture， fisheries and energy.

The two countries should enhance coordinationunder such frameworks as the United Nations and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation， and jointly promotethe development of relations between China and theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations， Xi said.

“China and the Philippines willcontinue to manage disagreements andpromote maritime cooperation throughfriendly consultation.”

President Xi Jinping called talks with PhilippinePresident Rodrigo Duterte‘fruitful’during his state visitto Philippines on November 20， 2018.

Xi and Duterte witnessed the signing of 29cooperation documents covering such areas as trade，investment， finance， agriculture. culture and the Belt andRoad Initiative.

Xi said that his talks with Duterte were “friendly，in-depth and fruitful”.

China and the Philippines have lots of commoninterests in the South China Sea Xi said， adding that thetwo countries will continue to manage disagreementsand promote maritime cooperation through friendlyconsultation.

China and the Philippines will work with ASEAN countries to contribute to peace， stability and welfarein the region， Xi said.

China and the Philippines must join hands to upholdthe interests of the developing world， resist protectionismand unilateralism， and promote peace， stability andprosperity in our region and beyond， Xi said.

“China and Spain have historic andgeographic advantages in enhancingcooperation on the Belt and Road.”

China and Spain signed a number of cooperationdocuments covermg such areas as the economy，advanced materials， finance and telecommunicationson November 28， 2018 during President Xi Jinping'sstate visit to the European country.

The two countries also published a joint statementto enhance a comprehensive strategic partnershipmoving forward.

Xi spoke highly of the Spanish prime minister'sdedication to developing China-Spain relations andhis support ofjointly building the Belt and Road.

China would like to make joint efforts with Spainto enrich the content of their comprehensive bilateralstrategic partnership， promote cooperation in all areas，and set an example of cooperation between nations ofdifferent civilizations and different social systems， Xi said

Xi pointed out that the two countries shouldstrengthen the exchanges and cooperation betweengovernmental and legislative authorities， deepenmutual political trust and continue to support eachother on issues related to core interests and majorconcems.

China and Spain have historic and geographicadvantages in enhancing cooperation on the Belt andRoad， Xi said， adding that the Belt and Road Initiativeshould be connected to Spain's development strategy.

The president said that the two countries shouldincrease trading exchanges and expand cooperationin areas such as seaports， maritime transportation，airlines， new-energy vehicles and finance.

The two sides should also boost exchanges incultural affairs， local government. tourism， publishing，health protection of cultural relics and sports， Xi said

China would like to enhance the connection ofthe Belt and Road Initiative with the developmentalstrategies of the European Union to jointly promotethe development and prosperity of the Eurasiancontinent. Xi said.

“World leaders should stick to opening-up and cooperation whilesafeguarding the multilateral tradesystem to promote‘fair’and ‘inclusive’global economic growth.”

The 13th summit of the G20 was held in BuenosAires， Argentina， on November 30， 2018. PresidentXi Jinping delivered a speech titled “Look Bevond theHorizon and Steer the World Economv in the RightDirection” at the first session of the summit.

The historical trend of the world economiesstepping toward opening-up and integration remainsunchanged， he said， adding that it is the only rightchoice for them to engage in cooperation and seekmutual benefit and a win-win outcome.

Xi urged that the G20 members stick to opening-up and cooperation and safeguard free trade and arule-based multilateral global trade svstem. Chinaagrees to conduct necessary reform of the WorldTrade Organization （WTO）， but the world shoulduphold the core values and fundamental principles ofthe WTO such as openness， inclusiveness and non-discrimination and ensure the development benefitsand policy space of the developing countries， he said.

Xi also urged that the global monetary systemshould be made more diversified to build a strongerglobal financial security net.

The president said the world should encourageinnovation to achieve deep-level integration betweenthe digital economv and the real economv; meanwhile，attention should also be paid to risks and challengesthat arise from innovation. He suggested that the G20should put in more resources to study application ofnew technologies and its ramifications.

“China and Panama should enhancethe connection of development serategiesand promote cooperation in suchareas as finance，tourism，logistics andinfrastructure.”

President Xi Jinping made his remarks whileholding talks with his Panamanian counterpart， JuanCarlos Varela， in Panama City on December 3， 2018.

Xi said that facts have proved and will continue toprove that it's absolutely right for China and Panamato establish diplomatic ties，which have brought realbenefits for people of both sides.

Witnessed by the two presidents. China andPanama signed a series of cooperation documents. Thetwo leaders spoke highly of the cooperation outcomesachieved since the establishment of diplomaticrelations and they reached lots of consensuses onpromoting bilateral relations.

China would like to make joint efforts withPanama to keep strengthening high-level exchangesand enhance cooperation between the governmentbodies， legislative authorities and political parties ofthe two countries， Xi said.

He proposed that China and Panama shouldenhance the connection of development strategies andpromote cooperation in such areas as finance. tourism，logistics and infrastructure.

Mentioning that China is the second-largest userof the Panama Canal. Xi said that the two countriescould streamline cargo transportation and make thecanal play a bigger role in China's global trade.

China would like to initiate free-trade negotiationswith Panama on the basis of mutual respect andmutual benefits，Xi said， adding that China welcomesPanama to export its products， including seafood，meat and pineapple to China.

The two countries should enhance people-to-people and local-to-local exchanges to facilitatepeople to travel， Xi said.

The two countries should enhance coordinationon global affairs， jointly face the chauenges ofprotectionism and unilateralism and better maintainthe interests of developing countries， he added.

Fireworks light up the sky on the opening of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge on August 30，2018.（新華社 圖）

“The year 2019 marks the 40thanniversary of China-Portugaldiplomatic relations，marking anew historical starting point for thedemelopment of bilateral ties.”

President Xi Jinping arrived in Lisbon， Portugal，on December 4， 2018， kicking off the first state visitby a Chinese head of state to the country in eightyears.

Upon his arrival， Xi said that China and Portugalenjoy a traditional friendship and that their long-lasting bilateral relations have withstood the test oftime，as well as changes in the intemational landscape.

Xi stressed that the year 2019 marks the 40thanniversary of China-Portugal diplomatic relations，marking a new historical starting point for thedevelopment of bilateral ties.

He added that he expects to meet with PortuguesePresident Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and PortuguesePrime Minister Antonio Costa to draw up a blueprintfor future cooperation between the two countries.

China is Portugal's largest trading partner inAsia， and Portugal is one of the main destinations forChinese investment within the European Union.

By the end of last year， total Chinese investmentin Portugal exceeded 9 billion euros （$10.2 billion），involving sectors such as energy， electricity， banking，insurance and healthcare.