China urges Japan to make serious efforts for the improvement of bilateral relations; Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Sudan; China issues a policy paper to define its policy objectives towards the
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    • (MARCH 31-APRIL 6)

    According to reports, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on on April 4 again urged Japan to make serious efforts for the improvement of bilateral relations. Hong made the remarks in response to some Japanese media reports at a regular press briefing. Some Japanese media reports said China has set preconditions for summit talks between the two countries, which requires a public commitment by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on not visiting the Yasukuni Shrine during his tenure. 1

    According to reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping met Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Sudan, Fatih Ezzendine al-Mansur on April 3 in Beijing. Xi Jinping said that the two countries were, “good friends, good brothers and good partners” with equity, mutual support and reciprocal cooperation. Both sides called for better relations and increased cooperation in areas like energy and trade healthcare, culture. 2
    According to reports, China on April 2 issued a policy paper to define its policy objectives towards the European Union and blueprint comprehensive bilateral cooperation in the next five to ten years. The document, consisting of ten parts, reviews the progress of China-EU strategic partnership in the last decade and suggests how to deepen collaboration covering politics, trade and economy, urbanization, finance, agriculture, science and technology, education, culture and other sectors. 3
    According to reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on April 2 from his four-nation Europe tour, which took him to the Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium. Xi paid state visits to the four nations from March 22 to April 1. During the trip, the president attended the third Nuclear Security Summit(NSS) in The Hague, Netherlands. He also visited the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris and the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels. 4
    According to reports, China's Defense Ministry has urged the United States to stop selling arms to Taiwan and take actions to safeguard Sino-US relations. "China opposes any country's arms sale to Taiwan. The stance is resolute, consistent and clear," ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said at a monthly briefing on March 27. His comments came after the US House of Representatives foreign affairs committee's recent passage of resolution No 494, which reaffirms the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the House's unwavering commitment to Taiwan. 5
    Reports noted that the Chinese President Xi Jinping met the United States President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit. "China is willing to work with the United States to keep the two nations on the right path toward building a new type of major-country relations," Xi told Obama. The Chinese leader said he appreciated a similar commitment from the US in a letter he received recently from Obama.The US president said the two countries not only work on issues of mutual interest and concern, but are also able to work through frictions that exist in their relations such as human rights, or dealing with maritime issues in the South China Sea and the Pacific region in a way that is constructive and hopefully will lead to solutions for all parties. Obama added that he believes ultimately that by working together, China and the US can help to strengthen international law and respect for the sovereignty of nations. 6
    According to reports, President Xi Jinping met with Sauli Niinisto his Finnish counterpart on March 23. President Xi Jinping met with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto on Sunday, and the two leaders pledged to boost bilateral cooperation. It was the second meeting between the two presidents in a year. In April last year, Niinisto visited China and the two presidents agreed to develop a new type of cooperative partnership between the two countries. During the meeting, Xi said China-Finland cooperation on investment, environmental protection, innovation and urbanization has achieved new results over the past year, among which are the "Beautiful Beijing" environmental protection project, and the FinChi Innovation Center. Xi said he hopes the two sides will speed up negotiations on a new political document and blueprint for their cooperation in various areas in a more effective manner. 7

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