BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's address at the fourth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) has drawn a clear roadmap for a bright future of Northeast Asia, officials and experts have said.
In his speech at the forum on Wednesday, Xi proposed that countries in Northeast Asia should build up mutual trust to safeguard regional peace and tranquility; deepen cooperation to achieve mutually-beneficial and win-win outcomes; learn from each other to consolidate their traditional friendship; and take a long-term perspective to realize integrated and coordinated development.
Officials and experts say that Xi's proposals conform to the trend of the times and the interests of all related parties, which draw a clear roadmap for a bright future of Northeast Asia.
The EEF has become an important new platform for meetings of leaders of China and Russia, thanks to frequent exchange visits of the two heads of state of the two countries, Russian Economic Development Minister Maksim Oreshkin said.
He said Xi's attendance at the forum shows the significance of frank discussions on economic and trade issues between the two countries against the backdrop of rising protectionism and will vigorously promote active consultation on economy, trade and investment among related parties in the region.
Alexei Maslov, head of the Asian Studies Department at the Russian Higher School of Economics, National Research University, said the EEF is not only a place to talk about Far East cooperation but also a platform to discuss the development of Northeast Asia.
The Chinese president, who participated in the forum for the first time, elaborated on his proposals on Northeast Asia cooperation and development, Maslov said, adding that it shows China, with a global vision, is committed to multilateral consultation and attaches great importance to deepening cooperation on economy and trade with regional countries to achieve win-win results.
Dashdorj Bayarkhuu, professor at the Mongolian Diplomatic Academy, said a lot of information that is key for Mongolia's economic and social development can be read from Xi's remarks.
He said Xi's proposal on deepening cooperation to achieve mutually-beneficial and win-win outcomes is good news for accelerating the construction of the economic corridor linking Mongolia, China and Russia.
Lee Sang-man, professor of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies of Kyungnam University, highlighted Xi's proposal on dovetailing the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with other countries' development strategies.
Lee said the Belt and Road Initiative is highly compatible with South Korea's New Northern Policy, as both contain Far East cooperation and Eurasian interconnectivity, adding that the two strategies can be brought into deep alignment.
Lee also agreed with Xi's suggestion for jointly addressing regional environmental issues, urging related countries in the region to enhance cooperation on environmental protection.
In the view of Zhao Xinwei, professor with Japan's Tokyo University of Science, Xi's remarks have let people realize that the EEF is an important platform to strengthen economic cooperation and promote regional peace.
Amid profound and complicated changes of the international situation, China plays an increasingly important role in promoting regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, Zhao said.
Building a harmonious, united and stable Northeast Asia with mutual trust has significance for safeguarding multilateralism and facilitating a more just and equitable international order, he said.
(Luan Hai in Moscow, Wu Gang in Vladivostok, Lu Rui in Seoul, Wang Kejia in Tokyo and Askhan in Ulan Bator contributed to the report.)
