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SPECIAL REPORT | Monday | 8 November 2010
WWW.PAKNATIONALISTS.COM

 

LISBON, Portugal—(Xinhua)—Chinese President Hu Jintao showed his concern for an ordinary guard during his visit to Portugal from Nov. 6 to 7, an episode which not only impressed everyone present but also drew heavy media coverage.

A member of the Portuguese National Republican Guard fell off a terrified horse when Hu was reviewing the cavalry regiment outside the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon’s suburb Belem on Saturday.

The incident occurred after Hu laid a wreath at the tomb of famous Portuguese poet Luis de Camoes inside the monastery to show respect for the Portuguese people.

Instead of heading towards his car after the ceremony, Hu walked directly to the fallen cavalryman.

“Are you all right?” Hu asked the man and hugged him closely.

“Thank you very much, Mr. President. I am all right and will be okay after a while,” the man replied, deeply moved by Hu’s gesture.

“I thank you, hope you have not been injured,” Hu said.

The Chinese president shook hands with the cavalryman a second time before heading for the Presidential Palace. The cavalryman put on his helmet with the help of his companion and mounted his horse again to continue escorting the president.

This incident involving the Chinese president and a Portuguese cavalryman shows the deep friendship between the Chinese leader and the Portuguese people, local press said.

 

HU IN PORTUGAL AND FRANCE

Chinese President Hu Jintao’s latest visit to France and Portugal has promoted mutual trust, deepened cooperation, expanded consensus and helped joint efforts in coping with challenges, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said on November 8.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who accompanied Hu during his tour from Thursday to Sunday, said the visit was another major diplomatic activity in Europe by a Chinese leader.

During the tight-scheduled four-day trip, President Hu attended nearly 30 important activities, including meetings with leaders of the two countries.

Yang said the visit has deepened the Sino-French and Sino-Portuguese strategic mutual trust, boosted China’s exchanges and cooperation with the two countries in various fields, promoted their communication and coordination on international affairs, deepened the host countries’ understanding and recognition of China’s development path, and injected new momentum into the development of the Sino-European ties.He said the tour yielded rich fruits in the following six aspects:First, the France visit has boosted the Sino-French comprehensive strategic partnership, which is based on mutual trust and benefit, is mature and stable, and is globe-oriented.

China and France have continuously deepened their dialogue and political mutual trust, and expanded cooperation in various fields since they forged diplomatic ties 46 years ago.

This year, both heads of state and parliament speakers of the two countries reciprocated visits for the first time, showing both sides attach great importance to bilateral relations.

During his visit, President Hu held talks with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy twice, and also met Senate leader Gerard Larcher, National Assembly Speaker Bernard Accoyer, Prime Minister Francois Fillon and former President Jacques Chirac, reaching important consensus on boosting China-France comprehensive strategic partnership.

Hu hailed the achievements of the efforts to develop the China-France ties, and made a four-point proposal on bilateral ties, including respecting each other and strengthening strategic mutual trust; advancing with the times and being creative in pragmatic cooperation; promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges by giving full play to each other’s advantages, and enhancing coordination and working together to deal with challenges.

The two countries also issued a joint statement, which showed their positive will to develop bilateral ties and their important consensus on the international situation, relations between big countries, and global governance.

Second, the Portugal visit has raised the China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level.

China and Portugal have made great progress in their exchanges and cooperation in various fields since they established diplomatic ties 31 years ago, especially after they forged a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2005.

During his visit, President Hu held talks with his Portuguese counterpart Anibal Cavaco Silva and met Prime Minister Jose Socrates and Parliament Speaker Jaime Gama, reaching important consensus on boosting the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

Hu made a four-point proposal on bilateral relations, including strengthening mutual political trust and strategic cooperation; exploring new fields for economic and trade cooperation and deepening pragmatic cooperation; expanding people-to-people and cultural exchanges and boosting friendship between the two peoples; and cementing cooperation on international affairs and jointly contributing to the construction of a harmonious world.

Third, the visit has deepened and expanded Sino-French and Sino-Portuguese pragmatic cooperation in all fields.

Hu made the visit with an eye on boosting bilateral pragmatic cooperation and bringing forward a series of new concrete measures for that purpose.

During Hu’s visit to Paris, China and France signed multiple cooperation agreements on trade and economy, energy, aviation, finance, telecommunications and environmental protection.

The two sides agreed to raise bilateral trade volume from this year’s expected 40 billion U.S. dollars to 80 billion dollars in 2015, provide a more convenient and attractive investment environment for investors from the other country, and boost cooperation in nuclear power and aviation, and further tap cooperation potential in such fields as energy-saving, environmental protection, new energy, new materials, electric cars, information and telecommunications, high-end equipment manufacturing and finance.

During Hu’s visit to Lisbon, China and Portugal signed bilateral cooperation agreements on trade and economy, telecommunications, electric power and culture.

The two sides also agreed to makes efforts to double bilateral trade by 2015, discuss ways to carry out cooperation between China and other Portuguese-speaking countries, and upgrade the trade and economic cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries through the trade and economic forum between China and these countries.

Fourth, Hu’s visit has also breathed new energy into the China-European comprehensive strategic partnership, which has transcended the boundary of bilateral relations and is gaining growing significance under the current international circumstances.

During his visit, President Hu spoke highly of Paris’s and Lisbon’s contributions to the development of the China-European ties.

He stressed that in the new century, the China-European ties should be characterized by mutual respect, mutual trust and equal treatment, mutual benefit, win-win progress, joint development and the joint efforts to build a more just and fairer new international political and economic order, and promote world harmony and advance the progress of human civilization.

Hu also told his hosts that China is ready to make efforts in concert with the European Union to enhance their strategic mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation, properly handle outstanding issues of mutual concern and bring their partnership up to a higher level.

For their parts, both France and Portugal voiced their readiness to continue helping promote the China-European ties.

Fifth, Hu’s visit has enhanced China-France and China-Portugal communication and coordination on major international issues.

During his Europe tour which was just days ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 (G20) leading economies in Seoul, Hu also discussed with his hosts the world economy, the international financial situation and G20 cooperation.

Hu stressed the need for the international community to draw a lesson from the latest global financial crisis in order to prevent any repetition of similar crises. He also said the reform of the international monetary system should be conducted in a gradual and prudent manner.

Hu also called upon all parties to send a clear message to the market that G20 members are united in efforts to meet global economic challenges so as to boost market confidence and shore up the momentum of the burgeoning recovery of the world economy.

Meanwhile, all parties should jointly strengthen global financial supervision and regulation, expand the representation of emerging economies and developing countries in international financial institutions, narrow the gap between the North and the South, curb all forms of protectionism and secure a comprehensive and balanced outcome of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations.

France said that its stances on global governance and reform of the international monetary system accord with those of China, and that as the G20’s rotating president next year, it is willing to cooperate with China to address such issues as development imbalances, global economic governance and international financial regulation.

Portugal lauded China’s active contributions to fighting the international financial crisis and boosting the world economic recovery, and hoped that China would play a bigger role in advancing the reform of the international monetary system.

Sixth, Hu’s visit has boosted his hosts’ understanding and recognition of China’s development path.

During his visit, the Chinese president also expounded the current situation and the prospects of China’s development, saying China’s development poses an opportunity for France, Portugal and Europe as a whole.

China will unswervingly stick to the path of peaceful development, adhere to the opening-up strategy on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win progress, continue the friendly cooperation with all countries in the world and make joint efforts with them to build a harmonious world marked by lasting peace and common prosperity.

French leaders spoke highly of China’s rapid and splendid achievements during the past 30 years, and stressed that China’s development is peaceful, is conducive to world peace and should not generate worries.

They also said that through its peaceful development, China has gained significant influence and is playing an indispensable role on the world stage.

Lisbon also acclaimed China’s efforts to promote world peace and development and its important role in regional and global affairs, and expected Beijing to make more contributions in the future.

Foreign Minister Yang concluded that President Hu’s Europe tour has achieved its goal to promote a forwarding-looking attitude, broaden consensus, expand cooperation and seek common development, and will surely have a far-reaching influence on the further development of China’s relations with European countries and on the construction of a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.

 

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