Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa,

Your Excellencies Diplomatic Envoys,

Young friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I attach great importance to this speech and it has taken me almost a year to prepare for it. I wish to tell you in this speech the domestic and foreign policies of China, the most populous country in the world, especially its policy towards the ASEAN countries. We in China know full well that only innovation can ensure the continuous progress of a nation, only openness and inclusiveness can bring prosperity to a nation, and only commitment to the path of peaceful development can enable us to achieve the goal of building a strong, democratic, harmonious and culturally advanced modern country. I wish to share with you in all sincerity basic views on China's domestic and foreign policies. I will be true in every word I say, as only sincere words can make a touching speech. I am confident that I can give a good speech and will not let you down.

It gives me great pleasure to visit Indonesia, the beautiful country of thousand islands. I want to thank the Indonesian Council on World Affairs for its kindness in arranging this event. Let me first of all extend, on behalf of the Chinese people, warm greetings to the people of Indonesia, and sincere thanks to friends from all sectors who have long been committed to the friendship between our two countries.

Indonesia is a big developing country full of vigor and promise. Over the past few years, under the leadership of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Indonesian people have engaged in a tremendous endeavor to develop their country. They emerged from the natural disasters stronger and tackled the international financial crisis with effective measures. I see in Indonesia a prospering country enjoying faster economic growth, sustained social stability, and greater harmony among ethnic groups. As an important member of ASEAN and the G20, Indonesia is playing a bigger role in regional and international affairs. I wish to take this opportunity to extend warm congratulations on your remarkable achievements.

Both China and Indonesia boast a long and splendid culture. The Borobudur in Yogyakarta and the Great Wall in China are both miracles of ancient Oriental civilizations. Eminent Buddhist monks in ancient China such as Faxian, Huining and Yijing lived and studied in Java and Sumatra. Six hundred years ago, the great Chinese Muslim navigator Zheng He helped build several mosques in places like Jakarta. Today, people in Semarang are still telling stories of how Zheng He, who visited the place during his voyages to the Western Seas, made friends with the local people. In modern times, people of our two nations sympathized with and supported each other during the hard struggles for national independence and forged a strong bond of friendship. As one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, Indonesia helped New China break the trade embargo imposed by the West. The Chinese people will never forget those episodes.

Entering the new century, our two countries have enjoyed frequent high-level exchanges, deepening political mutual trust and fast growing business cooperation. The establishment of the strategic partnership in 2005 brought our bilateral relations to a new stage. Last year, two-way trade approached $43 billion, making China one of Indonesia's major trading partners and export markets. In the face of the severe international financial crisis, our two countries worked together to tide over difficulties. We signed a bilateral currency swap agreement worth 100 billion yuan and played a positive role in maintaining regional financial stability. Our two sides have maintained close communication and coordination in international affairs, which has enhanced the influence of developing countries. It is worth mentioning in particular that when major natural disasters struck, people of our two countries shared each other's pain and stood together to counter difficulty. For instance, in the wake of the earthquake in Wenchuan, China in 2008, Indonesia sent a medical team to the affected area. An 80-year-old village chief in Aceh traveled more than 2,000 kilometers to deliver donations from his village to the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta. Likewise, when Indonesia was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in 2004, the Chinese international rescue team hastened to the disaster area. This fully shows that China and Indonesia are good neighbors and good brothers.

My visit this time is a journey of friendship and cooperation. It is also aimed at planning for the future. Yesterday, I had comprehensive and in-depth talks with President Yudhoyono. We reached important agreement and decided to further strengthen China-Indonesia strategic partnership. The two sides released a joint communiqué and signed several inter-governmental cooperation documents. President Yudhoyono and I set the new target of raising two-way trade to $80 billion by 2015. Later today, the two sides will sign economic and trade agreements worth about $10 billion. The Chinese side announced the decision to provide $1 billion of preferential export buyer's credit and $8 billion of credit line to support Indonesia in developing its infrastructure and priority industries. We decided to step up cooperation in mineral resources and clean energy and expand collaboration on maritime research and fishery. Indonesia plays an important role in affairs related to the Malacca Strait. China will enhance coordination with Indonesia and provide support in this regard. The aforementioned projects, agreed amidst the continuing impact of the international financial crisis, are bound to lend strong impetus to our endeavors to sustain the good economic momentum and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. They will raise our strategic partnership to a new high.

Being in Indonesia, I would be remiss if I did not mention the Bandung spirit. On my flight to Jakarta, I could not help but recall that during my visit to Indonesia 16 years ago, I made a special trip to the venues of the Bandung Conference to pay my respects. In 1955, Premier Zhou Enlai, on behalf of the new People's Republic, came to Indonesia in defiance of danger and difficulty, and initiated, together with leaders of other Asian and African countries, the Bandung spirit, a spirit that is still highly relevant today. The Bandung Conference left us a most valuable legacy. Seeking common ground while shelving differences and embracing peaceful coexistence are the core of the Bandung spirit and they remain the guiding principle for handling state-to-state relations today. We must hold dear and carry forward the ever-lasting Bandung spirit.