Xi: Teamwork will expand BRI benefits

COVID cooperation also urged in phone calls with Indonesian, Turkmen leaders

President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo vowed on Wednesday to strengthen high-quality cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, as well as coordination in the framework of the Group of 20, in order to promote bilateral ties.

In a telephone conversation, the two presidents also exchanged views on the Ukraine situation, agreeing that members of the international community should facilitate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to avoid a massive humanitarian crisis and get the negative effects of sanctions on the world economy under control, in order to not affect global economic recovery.

It was the second phone conversation this year between Xi and Widodo, with the previous one held in January.

Xi hailed the sound development of the bilateral relations, saying that China and Indonesia have set an example of solidarity and cooperation between major developing countries.

China is ready to maintain close communication with Indonesia to advance new progress in bilateral friendly cooperation and inject greater stability and positive energy into regional and global development, he said.

Xi called on both countries to continue to intensify cooperation on the COVID-19 response and implement major cooperation projects, including the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, to ensure high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between them.

As long as relevant projects are beneficial to the development of Indonesia and the countries' cooperation, China will maintain a positive attitude about them, he said.

Xi underlined the need for both countries to uphold global market stability and ensure smooth operation of the supply chain, advance the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, firmly safeguard the open and inclusive regional cooperation architecture with ASEAN at the center and promote solidarity and cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win results.

China supports Indonesia in playing its role in holding the presidency of the G20 in hosting the Bali Summit this year, Xi said.

The Indonesian president commended the bilateral cooperation in recent years and expressed his hope that China will continue to support Indonesia in the construction of the regional comprehensive economic corridor and green industrial estates.

Noting that the GDI will help realize the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, he said that Indonesia fully supports the initiative and stands ready to intensify communication on it to jointly make contributions to promoting global development.

Also on Wednesday, Xi had a phone conversation with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the country's president-elect, Serdar Berdimuhamedov. They pledged to actively advance the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries to benefit the two peoples.

Xi hailed the strategic partnership between the two countries, saying bilateral cooperation in various fields has reached a historic high.

China attaches great importance to the relations with Turkmenistan and will continue to support its internal and external policies, resolutely oppose external forces interfering in its domestic affairs, and work together with Turkmenistan to build an even closer community with a shared future, he said.

Xi stressed the need for both countries to continue to advance collaboration on energy and natural gas, and to promote Belt and Road cooperation to enlarge the scope of their mutually beneficial cooperation, in order to enhance the wellbeing of the two peoples.

He also urged the two countries to maintain timely communication and close cooperation on major issues, support each other, uphold true multilateralism and make contributions to promoting the democratization of international relations and global fairness and justice.

The two Turkmen leaders spoke highly of the achievements in the development of bilateral ties in recent years and said Turkmenistan will continue to pursue the policy of friendly cooperation with China to boost pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.