KUALA LUMPUR: In line with China's recently released white paper about the benefits of a shared future, Beijing acknowledges the positive results of joint efforts with other claimants of the South China Sea in ensuring peace and stability of the area.
That's why China accepted Indonesia's, as Asean chair, proposal to accelerate the Code of Conduct (COC) negotiations to produce an agreement between claimants of the South China Sea by the end of the year.
At the same time, it reassures Malaysia and Asean that it will be a responsible claimant by respecting all agreements on an area Beijing calls 'our common home.'
With next year being the 50th anniversary of China, Malaysia relations, Beijing is also prepared to take relations to new heights.
"The South China Sea is our common home. We must maintain peace and stability (there)," said Zheng Xuefang, Charge d'Affaires of China Embassy, today.
"Therefore, we should stay committed to the dual track approach - properly manage maritime differences through consultation with the countries concerned...and accelerate consultations on the COC to provide a solid underpinning for the pace and stability in the South China Sea."
He briefed the media on the recently released white paper 'A global community of shared future: China's proposals and actions.'
Elaborating on Malaysia and China relations, Zheng pointed to the successful visit of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to China in March, particularly Anwar's consensus with President Xi Jinping on building a China-Malaysia community with shared future.
"Guided by the important consensus between the two leaders, China and Malaysia will take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations next year as an opportunity and continue to enhance political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, promote Belt and Road cooperation and further strengthen people to people ties," he said.
Another focus that will be China's priority with Malaysia is promoting international science, technology and innovation cooperation.
"We are ready to work with all other countries including Malaysia to create an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for scientific and technological advances so as to promote the fruits of scientific and technological innovation to benefit the world," he said.
China has already established scientific and technological cooperation with over 160 countries and regions.
Explaining further the rationale of a shared future, Zheng described current the international arena as facing multiple global issues and challenges.
"The peace deficit is growing and the development deficit is ballooning, the security deficit is glaring and the governance deficit is becoming more severe.
"We are facing two opposing options. One is to revert to the Cold War mentality that deepens division and antagonism and stokes confrontation between blocs," he said alluding to stress in China-US relations and the current debates about Russian invasion of Ukraine and recent eruption of violence in the Palestine occupied territories.
"The other is to act for for the common well being of humanity."