Invest in the neighborhood: Building a community of shared future with neighboring countries

A few days ago, amid the gentle breezes and blossoming vitality of spring, I returned to Beijing to attend two important conferences: the Central Conference on Work Related to Neighboring Countries and the Conference for Chiefs of Overseas Missions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

- HUANG XILIAN

These conferences are of great importance for China to reflect on and refine its approach to strengthening relations with neighboring countries in the years ahead.

I would like to take this opportunity to share some of the key messages from the discussions and their profound implications for the region and beyond.

The Central Conference on Work Related to Neighboring Countries, the first of its kind since the founding of the People's Republic of China, marked a historic milestone. At the conference, President Xi Jinping systematically reviewed China's achievements and accumulated experience in managing relations with neighboring countries in the new era. He delivered a comprehensive and scientific assessment of the regional landscape, clarified the goals, tasks, guiding principles and policy measures for neighborhood diplomacy in the coming period, and emphasized the importance of building a community of shared future with neighboring countries—while striving to open up new frontiers in neighborhood work.

At a time when the US-initiated tariff war continues to escalate across the globe, further undermining an already fragile world economy, China's renewed commitment to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind has become more relevant than ever. It offers a constructive and stabilizing strategy forward, helping the world steer away from turbulence and avoid a lose-lose predicament.