Speech by H.E. Xi Jinping
President of the People's Republic of China
At the Senate of Mexico

Mexico City, 5 June 2013

Your Excellency Mr. Ricardo Anaya, President of the Permanent Commission of Congress,
Members of Congress,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to address the Mexican Senate and exchange views with members of the Mexican Congress today.

I wish to take this opportunity to express, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, warm greetings and best wishes to members of Congress and people from all sectors of the Mexican society who have long been committed to friendship with China and to the friendly and hospitable people of Mexico.

Last April, President Peńa Nieto paid an official visit to China and attended the Annual Conference of Boao Forum for Asia, on which occasion President Peńa and I reached important agreement on closer China-Mexico relations in new circumstances. At that time, President Peńa kindly invited me to visit Mexico, which I gladly accepted. I think it is important that we build on the positive momentum to boost the growth of China-Mexico relations.

I visited Mexico in 2009. Today, four years later, it gives me great pleasure and a surge of warm feelings to be back in this beautiful and magnificent country.

There is a saying in China, "home away from home". It means that a guest in a new place feels very much at home. This is exactly how I feel now in Mexico.

China and Mexico have a long history of interactions. On my way to Mexico, when I looked down at the vast Pacific Ocean through the window of the plane, I felt as if I saw the fleet of La Nao de China, giant ships fully loaded with silk and porcelain, braving the surging waves and moving towards Acapulco centuries ago. When I set foot on this land, I felt as if I saw the legendary Chinese Poblana, a kind-hearted and beautiful girl, teaching locals how to weave and embroider in Puebla.

I am visiting Mexico this time to enhance friendship, expand cooperation and jointly map out the blueprint for China-Mexico relations together with Mexican leaders.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

Mexico is a country with a time-honored civilization. The Mayan pyramids and Aztec Sun Calendar both stand testimony to the splendor of your ancient civilization.

The fresco of Diego Rivera, the master of contemporary art, and the classic works of Octavio Paz, the towering figure in literature, both speak to the profound insight of the Mexican people about the real world and human life.

Today's Mexico enjoys rapid economic growth, greater national strength and international influence. From the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun to the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, a dynamic Mexico has time and again captured the eyes of the world.

We congratulate Mexico on its achievements and wish Mexico even bigger progress in national development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

In the long course of history, both the Chinese and Mexican people have created a splendid culture and made indelible contribution to human progress.

There is a proverb in Latin America, "Condition of good friends, condition of old wine." The friendship between China and Mexico, which has grown from one generation to another, is like a bottle of aged Tequila, brimming with ever fresh fragrance with the passage of time.

In the more recent history, China and Mexico have supported each other in both words and actions in seeking national liberation, upholding state sovereignty and advancing modernization.

Today, China and Mexico are both moving onto a fast-track of economic and social development and embracing a promising future. There is an unprecedented opportunity for our two countries to further advance bilateral relations.

During my visit, I have had a very good talk with President Peńa. And just now, I met with President Anaya of the Permanent Commission and President Arroyo of the Chamber of Deputies.

We agree that in growing China-Mexico relations, we should not only focus on bilateral cooperation, but also adopt a global vision. Therefore, President Peńa and I have decided to elevate our bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, to the benefit of continued growth of China-Mexico relations at a higher level, in a broader scope and on a bigger platform, and usher our relations into a new stage of development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

Working together to create a better future is the call of the times and the mission bestowed by the history. We should, following the guidance of the China-Mexico Joint Declaration, make concerted and unremitting efforts to further advance our comprehensive strategic partnership.

First, we should treat each other as equals and enhance strategic coordination. President Benito Juarez once said that, "Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace." Confucius, the ancient Chinese thinker, taught us that, "Do not do onto others what you do not want others do onto you."

In the face of the complex and fluid international situation, China and Mexico should respect and trust each other, and continue to understand and support each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns and in the course of exploring development paths suited to our respective national conditions.

We should maintain the momentum of high-level interactions and fully leverage the guiding role of such interactions in developing bilateral relations. The governments, legislative bodies, political parties and localities of the two countries should increase contacts and exchanges of experience on governance, and learn from each other.

We should make full use of bilateral mechanisms such as the Permanent Bi-national Commission, Strategic Dialogue and Permanent Forum on Parliamentary Dialogue, increase dialogue and consultation, enhance mutual strategic trust, and uphold the common interests of our two countries.

Second, we should pursue win-win cooperation and promote common development. Development is the fundamental way to people's well-being and social progress. It is the most important agenda for both China and Mexico. We should both dedicate ourselves to the cause of common development, each view the other's development as its opportunity, pursue one's own development through cooperation with the other, and promote common development with one's own development.

The Chinese and Mexican economies have their respective strengths and advantages. Our two countries should enhance communication on our development strategies, follow through on the Joint Action Program, build on our cooperation in such traditional areas as mining, agriculture and communications, and at the same time, vigorously expand cooperation in energy, transportation, infrastructure, high technology and in emerging sectors, including clean energy, energy conservation, environmental protection, and high-end equipment manufacturing.

We should give equal importance to trade and investment, expand and upgrade bilateral cooperation through increased mutual investment, better trade mix and greater industrial connectivity, raise the international competitiveness of both countries and create more jobs.

We should build more platforms through which our business communities can intensify exchanges, deepen friendship and engage in diverse forms of mutually beneficial cooperation in trade promotion, market access, investment and business operations, thus benefiting from each other's development opportunities and promoting a balanced growth in our economic and trade cooperation.

China does not seek trade surplus. It will always be open and actively increase imports from Mexico, especially high value-added products. China and Mexico should stand together against protectionism and seek solutions to any trade frictions through dialogue and consultations so as to create a favorable environment for expanding business cooperation between the two countries.

Third, we should communicate and coordinate with each other and safeguard our common interests. Latin America and Asia are both regions full of dynamism and potential for development. China and Mexico should take an active part in global economic governance and work together for world economic recovery and growth and equilibrium of international forces.

In this new era, China and Mexico share more common aspirations and shoulder more common responsibilities. We should work together to promote democracy in international relations, jointly meet global challenges such as the international financial crisis, climate change and sustainable development, and safeguard the common interests of our two countries and developing countries in general.

Fourth, we should learn from each other through exchanges and carry forward China-Mexico friendship. As a Chinese saying goes, "The key to sound relations between states lies in amity between the people." Indeed, friendship and goodwill between the peoples provide an inexhaustible driving force for the long-term growth of bilateral relations.

The renowned Mexican writer, Octavio Paz, translated into Spanish the teachings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, ancient Chinese philosophers living over two millennia ago. According to Chuang Tzu, "If water is not piled up deep enough, it won't have the strength to bear up a big boat." Let's work together to enable the large boat of China-Mexico friendly cooperation to ride the wind and forge ahead in the vast ocean of China-Mexico friendship.

With the growth of our bilateral relations, people in both countries have become more eager than ever to know more about each other. We should increase exchanges in culture, education, sports, media, film and tourism, which will help China-Mexico friendship to take deeper roots in the hearts of our peoples.

I am a football fan myself. The Chinese football players have worked very hard, but so far, our national team has qualified for the World Cup only once. It was Mr. Bora Milutinovic who led the Chinese football team to the World Cup and who also happened to be the head coach of Mexico's national football team.

I have heard of an anecdote. A Mexican sports official once asked the head of the Chinese diving team: how do you feel to take all the gold medals? Two years ago, our Mexican friends had a taste of such success. With the help of Chinese coaches, Paola Espinosa, known as "princess of diving" in Mexico, and her teammates swept all titles in the eight diving events of the 2011 Pan American Games. We hope that the Mexican diving team will get more gold medals in the future and that our two countries will win even more gold medals in cooperation.

Direct people-to-people contacts are the most effective way to profound friendship between countries. In the coming five years, outbound Chinese tourists are expected to exceed 400 million and leave their footprints at the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, the ancient city of Chichen Itza and the beaches of Acapulco.

We are also looking forward to having more Mexican friends tour the Great Wall and the Palace Museum in Beijing and the terracotta warriors in Xi'an. We hope our Mexican friends will experience not only the ancient civilization of China, but also its present-day development and progress.

Young people are the future of a nation and of the world. They also represent the future of China-Mexico friendship. We should increase exchanges between our youths and hope that they will play a major part as a vital new force in carrying forward China-Mexico friendship.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

Mexico is an important country in Latin America. The development of China-Mexico relations would give a strong push to the development of relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.

In this regard, I would like to share some of my observations with you on the relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.

My current visit has reinforced my conviction that this vibrant and promising continent is richly endowed by nature for development and it is embracing another golden period of development. We believe that a more prosperous Latin America and the Caribbean will benefit the world in general, China as well.

At present, there is an important window of opportunity for the development of relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean. We should take a far-sighted view, keep abreast of the times, build on the traditional friendship, enhance all-dimensional exchanges, upgrade cooperation and work for fresh and greater progress in the Partnership of Comprehensive Cooperation featuring equality, mutual benefit and common development between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Politically, both sides should treat each other as friends with sincerity and continue to understand and support each other on issues involving the core interests and major concerns of either side.

Economically, the two sides should seize the opportunities brought about by the transformation of the economic growth model, fully tap the cooperation potential, create new cooperation modalities, expand converging interests, and foster an enduring and stable partnership of mutually beneficial economic cooperation and trade.

Culturally, the two sides should enhance inter-civilizational dialogue and cultural exchanges. As a Chinese saying puts it, one should first of all respect one's own culture, and also appreciate the culture of others for the prosperity of human civilization. This philosophy will guide our two sides to develop an exemplary relationship of different civilizations living in harmony and reinforcing each other.

I hope that China and Latin America and the Caribbean will make concerted efforts to put in place the Forum of China-Latin America and the Caribbean Cooperation at an early date. The two sides should bring into full play our respective strength, build a bigger platform for the advancement of the Partnership of Comprehensive Cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean and add more positive energy to the stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

As a Chinese proverb goes, "Just as distance tests a horse's strength, time will reveal a person's sincerity." The development of the relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean has proven and will continue to prove that ours is an open and inclusive relationship and a relationship of cooperation for win-win results.

We are firmly convinced that a stronger Partnership of Comprehensive Cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean will boost the development of both sides and will serve the peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

China has set the target for its future development, that is, to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020 and to complete the building of a modernized country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious by the middle of the century.

In the course of the long history, the Chinese people, through hard work, courage and wisdom, have built a beautiful homeland where people of all ethnic groups have lived in harmony, and have fostered a splendid culture that has retained its vitality despite the passage of time.

The Chinese people are life-loving. They are looking forward to better education, greater job security, a more decent income, better social security, improved medical and health services, more comfortable living conditions and a more beautiful environment. To realize the great renewal of the Chinese nation is the ultimate dream of the Chinese nation since modern times. The Chinese people are working hard to turn the beautiful dream into a reality.

In China we have an old saying that "A single flower doesn't make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden". The Mexican poet, Alfonso Reyes, once said, "The only way to be profitably national is to be generously universal."

In the course of development, China will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcome. We will continue the reform and opening up program, promote common development and bring more opportunities to the world.

Being the second largest import market in the world, China will import more than US$10 trillion worth of commodities and invest more than US$500 billion overseas in the next five years. We have confidence in maintaining a fairly fast growth of China's economy, which will bring more business opportunities to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and around the world, and make greater contribution to world economic growth.

Having said that, we are soberly aware that China remains the largest developing country in the world. It is by no means an easy job to ensure the 1.3 billion Chinese people a happy life. China is faced with numerous difficulties and challenges on its road to development. It calls for long-term, arduous efforts to realize the Chinese dream of great renewal of the Chinese nation.

I am firmly convinced that with the unremitting efforts of the Chinese people, China will have a brighter tomorrow!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

China and Mexico share one proverb, which is "Where there is a will, there is a way."

The ambitious goal for the future growth of our relations has been set. What is most important now is to start working on it.

Let us join hands, seize the momentum of our comprehensive strategic partnership, keep to the set course, forge ahead in a pioneering spirit and create a better future for China-Mexico relations!

Thank you.