Xi Jinping Holds Talks with President Iván Duque Márquez of Colombia

　　On July 31， 2019， President Xi Jinping held talks with President Iván Duque Márquez of Colombia at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
　　Xi indicated that China is willing to work with Colombia to jointly draw the blueprint for future development to elevate China-Colombia relations to a new high. The talks took place on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
　　Xi emphasized that China and Colombia should intensify high-level exchanges， share experiences in state governance and administration， deepen political mutual trust， and enhance mutual understanding and support. Colombia was welcomed to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative to realize the alignment of the two countries’ development strategies. The two countries should advance exchanges and cooperation in the fields of justice and people-to-people and cultural exchanges， draw the two peoples closer， and reinforce the foundation of friendship.
　　Márquez said Chinese enterprises are welcome to invest in Colombia， and the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by Xi is of great significance to facilitate world connectivity and international cooperation. Colombia is ready to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and looks forward to better guide bilateral cooperation in the future through the integration of the two countries’ development strategies.
　　“The U.S. and some other Western countries have been mixing right and wrong， stirring up trouble during the recent violent incidents over the revision of an extradition amendment bill in Hong Kong ... This amounts to gross interference in China’s internal affairs and is a blatant violation of the basic norms of international law and the basic codes of international relations， seriously undermining these countries’ relations with China. China expresses its strong indignation and firm opposition to this.”
　　Yang Jiechi， a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee， made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on August 1， 2019.

Wang Yi Attends the China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN） Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

　　On July 31， 2019， State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN） Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bangkok， Thailand. 　　Wang said China and ASEAN enjoy broad prospects for cooperation. He added that the guidance of the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030 should be followed， with a broadening of consensus and deepening of cooperation to forge a higher level of China-ASEAN strategic partnership and build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
　　Wang put forward a five-pronged proposal on further deepening China-ASEAN cooperation， involving aligning the Belt and Road Initiative and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025， narrowing the development gap， increasing innovation cooperation， intensifying security cooperation， and promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
　　The ASEAN Foreign Ministers said ASEAN-China dialogue partnership is of utmost importance as it benefits ASEAN the most. ASEAN is ready to align the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 with the Belt and Road Initiative and is committed to completing negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership at an early date.

Chinese FM Holds Talks with Indian External Affairs Minister on Bilateral Ties

　　Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with visiting Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Beijing on August 12.
　　Wang Yi indicated that both sides should earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries， cherish the outcome of the improvement of bilateral relations to date， further enhance mutual trust， and deepen cooperation， in a bid to constantly inject new impetus into the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.
　　Subrahmanyam Jaishankar emphasized that India-China relations play a unique and important role in global politics amid the current political uncertainties. The leaders of the two countries held a successful informal meeting in Wuhan last year， which greatly boosted the development of India-China relations. The Indian side is looking forward to the second informal meeting between the leaders of the two countries in India this year.
　　Wang Yi stated the Chinese side’s principled position regarding Indian’s recent unilateral move on the Kashmir issue. He hopes that the Indian side will play a constructive role in regional peace and stability. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar explained Indian’s stance， noting that the Indian side is willing to exercise restraint and improve its relations with Pakistan. The Indian side will also abide by the consensus reached with China on maintaining stability in the border areas， and continue to work with China to properly solve the border issue through consultations.