In its modernization drive, China has pursued a foreign policy of peace and development and is making friends with countries all over the world.

As the biggest developing country of the world, China has made it the cornerstone of its foreign policy to advance good relations with other developing countries.

The foremost is a friendly neighborhood policy with its neighboring countries, which, stemmed from the traditional Chinese belief that "a good neighbor near is better than a relative afar," aims to "bring harmony, security and prosperity" to all.

In April alone, top Chinese leaders -- President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao -- respectively visited Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India, to extend friendship, expand cooperation and enhance unity with these neighbors.

Meanwhile, China has deepened security and economic cooperation based on enhanced mutual trust with central Asian nations, and the four-year-old Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an intergovernmental international organization jointly founded by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, has witnessed more vigorous cooperation in maintaining regional security and in fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism.

With its growing influence, Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran and India have been accepted as observers of the SCO.

China has also maintained good relationship with the 10-member ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) under the "ASEAN+1" mechanism. ASEAN has become China's fourth largest trading partner with a trade volume of 105.8 billion US dollars in 2004.

Wu Dawei, China's vice foreign minister, says a strategic partnership oriented toward peace and prosperity has been forged between China and ASEAN.

Once dragged into skirmishes over border disputes, China and Russia reached agreement on a complete and legal settlement of the eastern part of their border early this year, and now the Sino-Russian border is one of "peace, friendship and cooperation," observes Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, which "is beneficial to the peoples of both countries, and peace and stability in the region and the world."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China last October and Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to Russia between June 30 and July 3 further promoted the two country's strategic partnership of cooperation to a new level.

China has been actively engaged in resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and played a positive role in restarting the fourth round of six-party talks in late July, after a 13-month deadlock.

The all-weather friendship between China and African countries has stood the test of time and become more and more consolidated with frequent high-level mutual visits.

From the 1960s to September 2004, altogether 92 Chinese officials at or above foreign minister level made 149 visits to Africa and 459 officials from 51 African countries at or above foreign minister level made 609 visits to China.

"China is willing to, together with the brotherly African countries, do whatever things that will be beneficial to Africa's peace and development, to the Sino-African friendly cooperation, and to safeguarding the interests of the developing countries," said President Hu Jintao during his visit to Africa in February 2004.

In addition to the "China-Africa Cooperation Forum," China and the League of Arab States jointly launched the "China-Arab Cooperation Forum" to deepen all-round mutually-beneficial cooperation in all fields.

China has also reached consensus with the Latin American countries to set up the "China-Latin America Cooperation Forum." President Hu Jintao visited four Latin American countries in November 2004 and signed a series of cooperative agreements with Cuba, Argentina, Brazil and Chile in the fields of economy and trade, tourism, transportation, resources, aviation and space. Heads of state or government leaders of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba and Peru also visited China to promote cooperation and ties.

So far, China and Latin American countries have forged 57 couples of "friend cities" or "sister cities," according to Li Xiaolin, vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

The relations between China and Latin America are described as "the best ever in history" by Jiang Shixue, research fellow of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who cites the strengthened political and economic ties.

China is now Latin America's third largest importer and fourth largest exporter.

While advancing its relations with neighbors and other developing countries, China has tried to make friends with developed countries as well.

Annual meetings between leaders of China and the European Union (EU) have been held since 1998, with the eighth meeting just concluded in Beijing in early September this year. The frequent mutual visits by leaders of the two sides have enhanced cooperation and improved bilateral ties.

China and the EU announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2003, indicating a new phase for bilateral relations. The two-way trade grew more than 74 times over the past three decades to reach 177.3 billion US dollars last year, which enabled the EU to surpass the United States to become China's largest trading partner, while China is now the EU's second largest. The EU is also China's largest provider of technology and equipment and the fourth largest source of investment.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, and Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui says that the two sides have entered into a mature, healthy and steady road for their relations. Serge Abou, the EU ambassador to China, says the EU looks upon China as a vigorous and irreplaceable partner for cooperation, instead of a menace.

Although there are disagreements and disputes over issues of arms ban and textile row between the two sides, China and the EU resorted to dialogue for solution and reached consensus in Shanghai in June, not only ending their months-long disputes over textile trade but also upgrading their relationship.

The overall bilateral ties between China and the United States have maintained a momentum of steady growth, too. The two countries have made new progress in exchanges and cooperation in the fields of the economy, trade, anti-terrorism, law-enforcement and health, and are engaged in consultation and coordination on important international and regional issues.

A hotline between the two countries' foreign ministers was set up late last year. Frequent high-level exchanges also highlight Sino-US relations and help enhance communication. Between July 10 and 11, four cabinet members of the Bush administration, including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, Trade Representative Robert Portman and Secretary of Agriculture Michael Johanns, came successively to China on issues ranging from bilateral ties, six-party talks, economic and trade. US President George W. Bush is expected to visit China in November this year.

"Such frequent mutual visits show China and the United States carry out high-level communication free of obstruction, which is conducive to the improvement of bilateral ties," says Fu Mengzi with the China Institute of International Studies.

Despite some disputes in China-Japan relations, China still regards it as a set policy to maintain sound relations with Japan and holds the Sino-Japanese friendship should continue from generation to generation.

According to Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, China's diplomacy is committed to safeguarding world peace, promoting common development and pushing mutually-beneficial cooperation.

"The Chinese people share the same fundamental interests with the world people, so Chinese diplomacy serves not only the Chinese people but also the world people," he says.

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2005)