On November 7 local time, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech titled "Deepen Cooperative Partnership and Co-build Beautiful Homeland of Asia" in the "Singapore Lecture" at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Xi Jinping stressed that China has always given top priority to its relations with the neighboring countries in the overall diplomacy. We stand ready to connect more closely our own development with that of our neighboring countries, and jointly open up a new dimension in all-round cooperation and co-build a beautiful homeland of Asia with Singapore, other neighboring countries and the rest of the world.

At around 9:35 am, Xi Jinping arrived at the NUS. He walked into the lecture hall together with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean of Singapore, President of the NUS and others. He received a standing ovation from the audience and started his address in the warm applause.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Singapore are close and friendly neighbors connected by the same water, enjoying time-honored friendly exchanges. Mr. Deng Xiaoping's visit to Singapore in 1978 launched China-Singapore friendly cooperation in the new age. Singapore's practice in creating economic miracles offers valuable references to China in cracking hard nuts in reform and development, while China's development also provides Singapore with tremendous development opportunities. Currently, China-Singapore political mutual trust and practical cooperation are continuously deepening and expanding. The development of China-Singapore relations in the past 25 years has closely tallied with the development strategies of both countries and with development direction of China and unique advantages of Singapore, which has led to a cooperative path keeping up with the times. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries, we have agreed to define China-Singapore relations as all-round cooperative partnership keeping abreast of the times. I believe that under the joint efforts of the two peoples, China-Singapore relations are sure to embrace new and greater development.

Xi Jinping emphasized that China and the Southeast Asia are linked by mountains and rivers and are bonded by blood. The civilization of China and those of the Southeast Asia have been co-existing and learning from each other for thousands of years. Since the modern times, China and Southeast Asian countries have supported each other throughout the process of respective state independence and national liberation, made concerted efforts in economic and social development and offered timely help to each other in the face of severe crises and challenges. By the end of this year, the construction of the first sub-regional community in Asia will be completed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). China will firmly develop friendly cooperation with the ASEAN, back the development and growth of the ASEAN, support the construction of the ASEAN community and uphold ASEAN's leading role in regional cooperation in East Asia.

Xi Jinping emphasized that China always gives top priority to its relations with the neighboring countries in overall diplomacy and regards the promotion of peace, stability and development of neighboring areas as its own duty. China persists in building a good-neighborly relationship and partnership with its neighbors and insists on the foreign policy of bringing harmony, security and prosperity to neighbors. China sticks to the diplomatic notion featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefits and inclusiveness, adheres to the security outlook of a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable Asia, strives to construct a closer China-ASEAN community of common destiny and promotes the construction of Asian community of common destiny. The thought of peaceful development is an innate gene in the Chinese culture while honoring promises and living in harmony with all others far and near are fundamental connotations of Chinese diplomacy towards neighboring countries. The boom and prosperity of China is an irresistible trend, but the idea that the strong will bully is not in accordance with the law of history. Since the ancient times China has long been advocating the thoughts like "the strong should not tyrannize the weak while the rich should not bully the poor"and known well the ideas such as "however powerful a country is, it is sure to fall for being too bellicose". China's adherence to the path of peaceful development is its strategic choice and solemn promise. China stands ready to connect more closely its development with that of its neighboring countries and welcomes its neighbors to take the"high-speed train" and "free-ride train" of China's development and live an abundant life together. Neighboring countries are welcomed to join the "Belt and Road" cooperation so as to jointly realize the outlook of peace, development and cooperation.

Xi Jinping raised a four-point proposal on China's deepening cooperation and joint planning of co-development with the Southeast Asian countries and other neighboring countries in the new situation. First, jointly uphold peace and tranquility. People of Asian countries should never be enemy of one another. Instead, we should enhance mutual trust and create favorable conditions for Asian countries to develop and peoples to live and work in peace and contentment. Second, dovetail development strategies in an in-depth way. People of Asian countries should focus on advancing development, improving the well-being of people and offering mutual help so as to inject more energy into economic growth of one another. Third, actively conduct security cooperation. Asian people should practice the outlook of Asian security, promote regional security management in a coordinating way, jointly undertake and tackle traditional and nontraditional security issues and pursue a way of interactions among neighbors featuring mutual respect and trust, seeking common ground while shelving differences, openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. Fourth, continuously consolidate amity among the peoples. Asian people should expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation and put traditional concepts like "harmony" and "cooperation" into practice while interacting with each other and pass down the good neighborly, harmonious and cooperative relations to future generations.

Xi Jinping underlined that the South China Sea islands are China's territory since the ancient times. Both the starting point and foothold of China's policy on the South China Sea are to maintain the peace and stability in this area. The general situation in the South China Sea is peaceful, without any navigation and overflight problems in the past or any in the future. China will persist in solving relevant disputes with directly concerned countries on the basis of respect for historical facts, in accordance with the international law and through negotiation and consultation. We are fully capable of and confident in maintaining the peace and stability of the South China Sea region with ASEAN countries. We welcome extra-regional countries to participate in the cause of peace and development in Asia and to play a positive role to this end. At present, countries in Asia require a peaceful and stable environment to realize continuous and rapid development. Extra-regional nations should understand and respect this and play a constructive role.

Xi Jinping pointed out that the 5th plenary session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has drawn the development blueprint of China in the coming 5 years. According to the planning, by 2020 China will build itself into a well-off society at all aspects and realize the first one-hundred-year objective of the "two centenary goals" already defined. We will stick to the strategic layout of building a well-off society at all aspects, deepening reform comprehensively, administrating the state by rule of law in an all-round way and governing the party with strict disciplines, and promote the construction of economy, politics, culture, society and ecological civilization as well as the party-building as a whole. We will firmly set up a development notion of innovation, coordination, green development, openness and sharing. We will strengthen cooperation with countries around the world, especially with the neighboring countries, and stand ready and expect to share development opportunities with other nations so as to create a bright future of Asia together.

Xi Jinping noted that the cause of China-Singapore friendly cooperation calls for the youths to carry on and promote it. It is hoped that youths of China and Singapore learn from and refer to each other, enhance friendship, co-serve as the loyal inheritors, active players and enthusiastic contributors of China-Singapore friendship, and become the new force in the development of China-Singapore relations.

Xi Jinping highlighted at last that looking into the future, Asia once again stands at the forefront to lead the development of history. China is willing to work with Singapore, with other neighbors, and with the rest parts of the world to jointly open up a new dimension for all-round cooperation and build a beautiful homeland of Asia.

On the morning of that day, Xi Jinping also attended the inauguration ceremony of the Chinese Culture Center in Singapore.

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi and others attended the above activities.