Xi says China to strengthen ties with neighbours, in first public speech amid US trade war escalation

Joint efforts should be made to safeguard regional stability through security and law enforcement collaboration to address various risks and challenges, the Xinhua statement said, adding that China’s leadership pledged to boost people-to-people exchanges.

Xi addressed the meeting just days before his expected coming visits to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, all important neighbours for China.

China is among a group of countries with the most neighbours in the world, sharing land borders with 14 nations – a distinction it shares with Russia – while facing eight other nearby countries, including US allies Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

The Indo-Pacific region, where China is located, includes the disputed South China Sea, which has become a major source of tension in a geopolitical chess game between the Asian country and the US.

“Our country has vast territory and long borders, which makes the surrounding region an important foundation for achieving development and prosperity, a key area for safeguarding national security, the primary element in coordinating overall diplomatic work, and the crucial driver in building a community of a shared future for mankind,” the statement said.

This article was first published on SCMP.