BEIJING: Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Moscow on Nov. 17 and 18 at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Thursday.
Li will pay an official visit to Zambia on Nov. 19 and 20 at the invitation of the government of the Republic of Zambia. He will also attend the 20th G20 Summit in Johannesburg from Nov. 21 to 23 at the invitation of the government of the Republic of South Africa, the ministry said.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, briefed the press on Premier Li’s overseas trips at a regular press conference on Thursday.
He said during the SCO Tianjin Summit, leaders of SCO member states achieved a series of important common understandings on upholding the Shanghai Spirit and promoting the development and reform of the SCO, leading the organization into a new stage of high-quality development featuring greater solidarity, coordination, dynamism and productiveness.
The Global Governance Initiative put forward by China was welcomed and supported by parties attending the Summit and widely recognized by the international community, added Lin.
At this meeting of the Council of Heads of Government, Premier Li will have an in-depth exchange of view with all parties on implementing the outcomes of the SCO Tianjin Summit, strengthening solidarity and coordination in the SCO, and deepening regional economic and cultural cooperation, said Lin.
He said China believes that this meeting will sustain the positive momentum of the SCO Tianjin Summit, promote the implementation of the development strategy for the SCO in the next 10 years, better safeguard the common interests of the member states, and inject more positive energy into regional and world peace, stability, development and prosperity.
On Premier Li’s visit to Zambia, Lin said Zambia is a comprehensive strategic cooperative partner of China in Africa. Over the past 61 years of diplomatic relations, the two countries have developed bilateral ties under the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and the traditional friendship has grown stronger over time.
In recent years, under the care and strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the bilateral relations have maintained robust development with solid mutual trust and fruitful cooperation outcomes in various areas, Lin added.
He said China looks to working with Zambia through the visit to accelerate the implementation of the important common understandings between the two presidents and the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, deepen political mutual trust, expand mutually-beneficial cooperation, promote common development, have closer communication and coordination on international and regional affairs, and make greater contribution to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
When being asked about China’s expectation for the G20 summit, Lin said that amid rapid changes in the world not seen in a century, sluggish global economic growth and widening development deficit in the world, the G20, as the premier forum for international economic cooperation, needs to enhance solidarity and cooperation, jointly respond to challenges, improve global economic governance, and contribute to world economic growth as well as the development and prosperity of countries.
Lin stressed that it is of historic significance that the G20 summit is held on the African continent for the first time.
He said China supports South Africa’s G20 presidency and stands ready to work with various parties under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” to build up consensus at the summit for upholding multilateralism, building an open world economy and promoting the cooperation on development.
