On September 14, 2001, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, who accompanied Premier Zhu Rongji during the visits, briefed the accompanying Chinese journalists on the achievements of Premier Zhu’s four-nation tour.

Tang said that during the visits, Premier Zhu attended the 6th regular meeting of Chinese and Russian prime ministers, the 4th meeting between Chinese and EU leaders and the first meeting of the prime ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries, and paid official visits to Ireland, Belgium, Russia and Kazakhstan upon invitation. Tang noted that the visits took place against the backdrop that international situations are undergoing profound changes, the readjustment of relations among big powers is accelerating and the realignment of various forces in the world continues to unfold. Tang called the visits another major diplomatic operation China has undertaking in the Euro-Asian continent, adding that the visits are of great significance to the promotion of multi-polarization in the world, the maintenance of world peace and stability, the enhancement of friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the above-mentioned organizations and countries.

During the visits, Premier Zhu held fruitful meetings and talks with EU leaders, the prime ministers of the member countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the leaders of Ireland, Belgium, Russia and Kazakhstan, had extensive contacts with personages from economic and trade, scientific and technological, and cultural and other communities, and gave interviews to overseas media on many occasions.

The main achievements of the visits can be summed up as follows.

I  It enriches the contents of Sino-Russian strategic partnership of coordination. Premier Zhu’s just-concluded visit to Russia is another important meeting between the Chinese and Russian leaders after President Jiang Zemin’s visit to Russia this July, during which he and President Putin signed the Sino-Russian Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. Premier Zhu’s visit has further consolidated and intensified the political mutual trust between the two countries, and promoted the all-round development of the economic relations and cooperation between them. During the visit, the two sides signed 7 agreements including one about China purchasing passenger planes from Russia and one about conducting feasibility studies on jointly laying a crude oil pipeline. These agreements help to open up broad prospects for the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in all areas in the future and signify that the pragmatic cooperation in economy and trade between the two countries has passed the run-in phase and embarked on the fast track. The economic cooperation and trade between the two countries is rapidly catching up with the sound political ties between the two countries and is moving towards mutual coordination and promotion. During his talks with Russian leaders, Premier Zhu emphasized that the two sides should view and handle bilateral economic cooperation and trade from a strategic perspective. As for the drawbacks that exist, the two sides should deal with them with a pragmatic attitude, work earnestly to find the causes and solve the problems as early as possible. China stands ready to make the first move and take concrete and feasible measures to address the problems. Only in this way can we truly implement the agreements and consensus reached by the two sides and jointly push the bilateral economic cooperation and trade to a new high. Premier Zhu’s words are both frank and reasonable. The Russian side seconded his view. China is Russia’s largest neighboring country and vice versa. Both of them are permanent members of the UN Security Council and assume major responsibility for world peace and development. The enhancement of all-round cooperation and the upgrading of strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries not only benefit the two peoples, but also facilitate the establishment of a just, democratic and reasonable international political and economic new order and promote regional and world peace and development.

II  The 4th meeting between the Chinese and EU leaders has made substantive progress and China-EU relations have entered a new phase of development. The atmosphere of the meeting is more cordial than the previous ones and the contents more extensive and in-depth. Premier Zhu gave a positive and detailed response to the suggestions made by the EU commission in its new document on China policy published this May. The two sides agreed to further expand and deepen China-EU friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation, intensify political and security dialogue, uphold world peace and stability. The two sides will also expand exchanges and cooperation in such areas as trade, information industry, environment, energy, culture and education and create a good momentum for all-round cooperation. During the discussion, China and the EU also exchanged views on such questions as Taiwan, Tibet and Falungong in a frank manner. The EU side attaches great importance to China’s propositions and unequivocally declares that it adheres to the One China principle and does not support Taiwan independence. The EU side holds that though the two sides have different views on the question of human rights, the two sides will continue to conduct dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect. The joint press communiqué signed by the two sides clearly stipulates that China and the EU will establish all-round partnership, and points out the direction for further enhancement of cooperation between China and EU. The meeting achieved its projected goal and was a success.

III. The first meeting in Alma-Ata of prime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries launched the process of multi-lateral economic cooperation and trade of the 6 countries. This is the first major high-level activity of the mew organization after its inauguration and is of great significance to the development of the new organization and the deepening of cooperation among the 6 countries. The prime ministers of the 6 countries had an in-depth exchange of views on such questions as regional multi-lateral economic cooperation and trade and reached extensive consensus. They signed relevant memorandums, laying out in clear terms the short-term and long-term objectives and tasks of multi-lateral economic and trade cooperation and agreeing to hold meetings of the prime ministers on a regular basis according to needs. In light of the serious terrorist attacks which rocked the United States several days ago, the prime ministers of the 6 countries issued a statement, strongly condemning this inhuman barbaric act, expressing deep condolences to the thousands of innocent people who died in the attacks and their family members and reaffirming the position and determination of the 6 countries to jointly crack down on terrorism.

Premier Zhu’s visit to Kazakhstan helps to consolidate the good –neighborly and friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries. This is Premier Zhu’s first visit to Kazakhstan. He had an extensive exchange of views with Kazakh President, Prime Minister and parliamentary leaders on how to maintain and deepen the long-term stable good-neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Kazakhstan. In particular, they reached a series of important agreements on how to expand cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, energy, transportation, as well as the protection and utilization of cross-border water resources.

IV  Premier Zhu’s visits to Ireland and Belgium are crowned with success and will push the cooperation and exchanges between China and the two countries to a new high. Premier Zhu suggested that China and Ireland step up cooperation in high-tech areas, expand cultural and educational exchanges and conduct labor cooperation. The Irish side has expressed the willingness to put them into practice together with China as soon as possible. Premier Zhu availed himself of the visit and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Belgium to contact Belgian people from all walks of life to promote bilateral friendship. The two sides have also reached extensive consensus on further intensifying high-level visits and contacts at different levels and promoting bilateral economic cooperation and trade. Prime Minister Verhofstadt has decided to visit China in the first half of next year. A large-scale Belgian trade delegation will visit China’s western provinces next year to examine possibility of bilateral cooperation. These all indicate that the mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation between China and Ireland and Belgium will be upgraded to a new stage.

Premier Zhu’s four-nation tour, to which the relevant countries have attached great importance, has also drawn the wide attention of the international community. The programs of the visits are packed but well worked out and contents rich. The visits are smooth and have achieved notable results. In conclusion, the visits have achieved their projected objectives of setting eyes on the general picture, promoting friendship, enhancing mutual understanding and promoting mutually beneficial cooperation.