Chinese Premier on first foreign trip to demonstrate diplomacy of new leadership (2)

FROM NEIGHBORS TO COMPLEMENTARY PARTNERS

Starting with India and Pakistan, China's two close neighbors, Li's maiden trip attests to Beijing's diplomatic priority on its ties with neighboring nations.

Switzerland and Germany, on the other hand, are important nations in Europe, a region that has the largest number of developed countries in the world. China and Europe are not only economically inter-connected, but also share consensus in building a multipolar world and achieving common development.

Specifically, India is Li's first stop -- a fact that shows the utmost importance both countries place on their relations.

As the two biggest and most populous developing countries, China and India have broad common interests to work together on development. As major emerging markets with enviable economic growth, the two countries offer each other plenty of opportunities for further cooperation.

Against the backdrop of fragile world economic recovery and weak demand across developed countries, cooperation between China and India will not only benefit the two BRICS countries, but also exert a positive spillover effect upon the world economy.

China and Pakistan are called "all-weather" partners for their unusual friendship, which makes a solid foundation for an expansion of their decades-old cooperative ties.

"Rain or shine, China-Pakistan relations stand weatherproof," said Jin Yinan, a prominent Chinese military strategist with the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army.

As developed countries in Europe, Switzerland and Germany are different from China. Yet, China and the two European countries are economically complementary.

Europe currently needs China's huge market in its fight against the lingering debt crisis, while China needs Europe's advanced technologies and management expertise in its bid to achieve economic transformation and fulfill the Chinese dream of national revival.

CLOSER TIES BUILT ON THREE PILLARS

Li's four-nation tour is aimed at boosting bilateral ties by strengthening political mutual trust, expanding economic cooperation and enhancing cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Political, economic and cultural cooperations are the three pillars of a sound development of bilateral relations.