Let's look at China's history. Does China have the tradition and culture of aggression and expansion? I have noted many people across the world say "no". China did not seek expansion or hegemony even at the time when it was the most powerful country in the world with 30 percent of the global GDP a few hundred years ago. Many of you know about Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas. Leading the most powerful fleet in the world, Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Seas, bringing there porcelain, silk and tea, rather than bloodshed, plundering or colonialism. They also brought those countries tranquility and well-being by helping them fight pirates. To this day, Zheng He is still remembered as an envoy of friendship and peace, and his merits are widely recognized by people of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia.

Let's look at China's reality. China is getting more integrated into the international community. As China develops, it will be more closely linked with the world. It will need closer international cooperation and a peaceful and stable international environment. China's future and destiny has become ever more closely linked with that of the rest of the world. Mutual benefit and common development—this is the most important experience we have gained from our diplomacy over the past 30 years and more since reform and opening-up. It is also the key to our success, which we will always hold firm and never abandon.

Now let's look at China's fundamental policies. Not seeking hegemony is our basic national policy and strategic choice. China wants friendship, not hegemony. It always pursues a good-neighborly and friendly policy towards its neighbors. China stands for equality among all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor and respects the rights of their people to independently choosing their development paths. We will adhere to mutually beneficial cooperation and common progress. China's long-term stability, development and prosperity have been proven to be an opportunity for its neighbors, not a challenge, even less a disaster. On the contrary, an unstable and underdeveloped China with 1.3 billion people would become a burden or even bring calamity to its neighbors.

As China does not seek hegemony for itself, nor will it compete for hegemony or seek joint hegemony in this region with other countries. As you know, what we pursue is an independent foreign policy of peace. We do not enter into alliance with any other countries. We are of the view that international issues should be handled by all of us instead of being dominated by one or two countries or a group of countries. The United States is an important partner for East Asian countries as well as for China. We value our relationship with the United States and we have neither the intention nor the ability to push it out. We are willing to see the United States play a constructive role in promoting stability and development in Asia.

In short, we want to be a good friend, good neighbor and good partner of ASEAN and Asian countries for ever. Our intention is transparent and based on good will. If some people still do not quite believe our intention and want to wait and see what China really wants, they may do so. But just keep in mind that if they wait for too long, they may very well miss the opportunity of cooperation with China, which would be totally unworthy.

Ladies and gentlemen,

What changes have taken place in China-ASEAN relations in the past 10 years? Great changes!

First, let me congratulate the launch of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) as scheduled. This is a major happy event for China-ASEAN family, which shows the significant progress in the ever more extensive and intensive China-ASEAN cooperation in the past 10 years.

China and ASEAN countries are connected by the same mountains and rivers. We have always regarded ASEAN countries as reliable good brothers, good neighbors, good friends and good partners and truly want to develop good-neighborliness and friendship with them. China and ASEAN countries have come together in weathering the storms and overcoming the difficulties. Through mutual understanding and support, we surmounted every challenge and achieved major successes.

China is the first major country outside the region to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and to forge a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity with ASEAN. China firmly supports ASEAN in playing a leading role in East Asia cooperation and supports the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty.

Together we have built the biggest FTA between developing countries. Our bilateral trade jumped to $231.1 billion in 2008 from $78.2 billion in 2003, registering an annual growth rate of 24.2 percent. Today, durian, mangosteen and pitaya from Southeast Asia are on the shelves of Chinese supermarkets. Apple, orange and peach from China are added to the dinning table of ASEAN people. All this would have been unimaginable some 10 years ago.

We successfully carried out a number of major cooperation projects. For instance, the Suzhou Industrial Park is not only a symbol of China-Singapore friendship and cooperation, but also a model for China's opening-up endeavor. Indonesia Suramadu Bridge built with China's support connects the Madura Island and the most populous Java Island and stands as a bridge of friendship between the two peoples. China-Philippines Agricultural Technology Center jointly built by the two countries is playing a positive role in addressing the food shortage for the local people. Between China and Viet Nam, most extensive and in-depth exchanges and cooperation are carried out on governance, reform and opening-up. The value such exchanges entail is huge and incomparable.

Now, the exchanges between Chinese and ASEAN people are becoming more dynamic, bringing our peoples closer. There are 766 regular flights between major cities in China and ASEAN every week. In the first 10 months last year, more than 4 million people from ASEAN countries visited China and 3.7 million Chinese went to Southeast Asia. Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand remains the most popular route for Chinese tourists traveling abroad. A flight ticket can become a rarity especially during holiday seasons. Philippine bands play beautiful melodies in Beijing bars and the famous Indonesian songs Sing Sing So and Ayo Mama are popular among the Chinese public. Chinese music and audio-visual products are also popular with the ASEAN public. There have also been vigorous exchanges between students and young people from our two sides. At present, nearly 6,000 Chinese language volunteers are actively involved in 35 Confucius institutes or classrooms, teaching the Chinese language and culture to over 50,000 Southeast Asian students. Large numbers of Chinese students study in ASEAN countries. They will become the "torch carriers" for China-ASEAN friendship.

China-ASEAN relations have withstood the test of crises and disasters. From the Asian financial crisis in 1997 to the international financial crisis in 2008, China and ASEAN countries have always shared weal and woe and deepened our mutual understanding and trust while combatting the financial crises. In the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami, China donated 650 million yuan to ASEAN and other disaster-stricken countries. The Chinese medical team was one of the first international rescue teams that arrived at the disaster areas. After the devastating earthquake in Wenchuan, people from Southeast Asia shared the sorrow with the Chinese people and donated more than 500 million yuan of relief fund to the affected people in Sichuan. What's more, Indonesia and Singapore dispatched emergency rescue teams to the earthquake zone. In both the Chinese and Indonesian languages, there is this same idiom: sharing weal and woe. And this idiom gives vivid expression to the mutual support and help we give each other in time of disasters and difficulties.