From April 14 to 18, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. This is the opening work of the visit of the head of state of China this year, and it is also the first visit to the surrounding areas after the Central Peripheral Work Conference.

Amid the turmoil, the head of state of the new year is visiting, and the world's attention is attracted.

One concept: "Highlight the concept of friendship, sincerity, favor and tolerance"

"Neighbors are good, and good fortune" and "Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors." This is true for a family and so for a country. Being harmonious and friendly neighbors and being kind to neighbors has been China's "way to be neighbors" since ancient times.

Over the years, China and neighboring countries have become closer and closer like visiting relatives. Su Lin, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, came to China for his first visit after taking office as General Secretary; Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar has visited China three times in more than two years; Cambodian Prime Minister Honmanai has regarded China as the first country to officially visit after taking office.

Meet frequently, walk around more. Behind close interactions is the vivid practice of the surrounding diplomatic concept of "friendliness, sincerity, favorability and tolerance".

In October 2013, at the first symposium on neighboring diplomacy since the founding of New China, President Xi Jinping put forward the concept of friendly, sincere, favorable and inclusive neighboring diplomacy.

More than ten years of spring and autumn fruit. Today, China has reached a consensus with 17 neighboring countries to build a community with a shared future and become the largest trading partner of the 18 countries.

"The concept and policy of good neighborhood, safe neighborhood, rich neighborhood, friendly, sincere, favorable, and shared destiny are emphasized," the Central Peripheral Work Conference held not long ago emphasized. The consistent concept leads China's relations with neighboring countries to move forward, allowing neighboring countries to truly feel China's kindness and sincerity.

Look for the good deeds, and the good deeds. When President Xi Jinping once again embarks on his trip to Southeast Asia, how the rich connotation of this important concept will be expanded and enriched is highly anticipated.

A vision: "Let China's development achievements benefit more the surrounding areas, so that everyone can live a good life together"

Peripherals, lips and teeth, hands and feet. Faced with the expectation of shared opportunities and common development among neighboring countries, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized, "Neighboring countries are welcome to take the express train and ride the wind of China's development."

In the autumn of 2013, President Xi Jinping went to Kazakhstan and went south to Indonesia, and the "Belt and Road" initiative responded to it with one call.

From China, it starts from the surrounding areas, and benefits the world. Over the past 10 years, China has signed a cooperation agreement on jointly building the "Belt and Road" with 25 neighboring countries. The China-Laos Railway has opened up the dilemma of Laos' "land-locked country", the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway has given wings to the local economy, and China-Malaysia "two countries and two parks" have created a new model of industrial cooperation... A large number of projects benefit the people and people's livelihood.

"There are neighbors around you who cannot move away, and achieving neighbors is to help yourself." Vietnam's "two corridors and one circle" framework, Malaysia's East Coast Railway and other key projects, Cambodia's "Diamond Six-Side" cooperation structure are accelerating the docking of the "Belt and Road" with high-quality joint construction, and are forming a strong synergy of "1+1>2".

On the bilateral side, China and Vietnam have built a strategically significant community of shared future; China and Malaysia deepen and enhance a comprehensive strategic partnership and jointly build a community of shared future between China and Malaysia; China and Cambodia have entered a new era of high quality, high level and high standards.

Look at the region, the 3.0 upgrade protocol for the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone is expected to be signed within the year. Digital empowerment and green development will help ASEAN countries transform and develop, and form "two clusters" of a community with a shared future in the Indochina Peninsula and Central Asia.

In the face of globalization, all parties are looking forward to: how China and neighboring countries can continuously set up examples of cooperation, and how to further deepen and practically build a community with a shared future in the neighboring community.

A action: "Constructing open regionalism together"

This is an extraordinary journey.

34 years ago, China and ASEAN officially started the dialogue process. Among ASEAN's dialogue partners, China was the first to join the Southeast Asian Friendship and Cooperation Treaty, the first to initiate free trade zone negotiations with ASEAN, and the first to become ASEAN's strategic partner. It is driven by the rapid progress of China-ASEAN relations that countries have increased cooperation with ASEAN, thus gradually forming a situation of vigorous development of East Asian cooperation.

Looking back on history, President Xi Jinping profoundly summarized the valuable experience of both sides' development at the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN held in 2021, one of which is "inclusiveness, mutual learning, and jointly building open regionalism."

Only by rejecting the flow of people, you will become a river and a sea. "Leading regional economic integration with the concept of openness, promoting regional cooperation led by ASEAN through equal consultation, and building an open rather than exclusive circle of friends with an inclusive attitude" is true multilateralism.

When the world once again stands at the crossroads of history, should it provoke separatist and confrontation, advocate openness and win-win, discuss, build and share, or do it hegemony and bully? Two choices and two futures are related to the overall interests of mankind and also test the wisdom of all countries.

The total population of China and ASEAN accounts for about 1/4 of the world's population, which is the second and fifth largest economies in the world respectively. "A closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future is in line with the trend of the times of seeking peace, seeking development, promoting cooperation and seeking win-win results, in line with the common interests of the people of Asia and the world, and has broad development space and huge development potential."

Planning: Du Shangze

Written by: Li Jianguang

Position: Chen Xiaojin

Editor: Hu Zexi, Jiang Xuehong

Chapter inspection: Juli