On the 19th in Sofia, Politburo member of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, together with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Petrova, met the press. Wang Yi said that during this visit, he attended the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit as the special representative of President Xi Jinping and also visited Azerbaijan, Croatia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria. On this occasion, he shared four takeaways from his trip to Europe and Asia.
First, trust is the cornerstone of peace. The clear message China conveyed to all parties was that they should stay confident, demonstrate perseverance, commit to dialogue and consultation, pursue mutual understanding and accommodation, rebuild trust, and work together for peace. China will always stand on the right side of history, fulfill its responsibilities as a major country in eliminating trust deficits and resolving crises and conflicts, and play its due role.
Second, friendship is an invaluable asset. The friendly exchanges between the Chinese people and the peoples of the four countries, spanning time and distance, carry forward the spirit of the ancient Silk Road and are vivid examples of mutual learning among civilizations on the Eurasian continent. Such valuable friendships should be given new meaning for the new era and continuously carried forward.
Third, cooperation is a solid driving force. China is ready to work with the four countries to tap potential and improve efficiency, consolidate cooperation in traditional fields such as economy and trade, investment, and infrastructure, actively align the Belt and Road Initiative with the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, TITR), and strengthen cooperation on new quality productive forces, including artificial intelligence and green transition, so as to create new engines and inject new impetus into the development and revitalization of each country.
Fourth, partnership is our common goal. China is ready to work with the EU to adhere to the path of multilateralism, practice the concept of free trade, and jointly achieve China-EU win-win cooperation at a new and higher level. China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) cooperation conforms to the trend of the times and the development needs of regional countries, and is an important mechanism conducive to European integration. China is ready to take next year's 15th anniversary of cooperation as an opportunity to join hands with regional countries to celebrate the anniversary and push for higher-quality cooperation.