Premier calls for closer ties between China-ASEAN community

Premier Li Qiang called on Wednesday for building an even closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, saying Beijing is ready to work with the ASEAN countries to build a "peaceful, stable, prosperous, beautiful and amicable" homeland for all.

Li made the remarks addressing the 26th China-ASEAN leaders' meeting in Jakarta. The leaders and representatives of Indonesia, Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore Vietnam and Thailand attended the meeting.

Li commended the development of ties between China and ASEAN, saying that over the past decade, China and ASEAN have maintained a relationship characterized by sincerity, mutual assistance, mutual benefit, mutual coordination and inclusiveness. They have worked together to forge a path of long-term good neighborliness, friendship, and shared development and prosperity amid the evolving global landscape, he added.

To build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, the premier urged both sides to work together to create an economic growth center by strengthening connectivity and deepening cooperation on enhancing the industrial and supply chains.

He underlined the need to promote cooperation in emerging industries, such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, and artificial intelligence, expand people-to-people exchanges and enhance cooperation in culture, tourism, training, as well as among the youth.

Noting China and ASEAN are inseparable neighbors, brothers and partners, Li emphasized the importance of maintaining regional peace and stability by actively advancing consultations on the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" and cooperating in combating telecommunications and cyber fraud.

The leaders of ASEAN countries attending the meeting highly praised the achievements of ASEAN-China cooperation, saying that the comprehensive strategic partnership between ASEAN and China has brought great benefits to the people of the region by promoting regional peace, development and stability.

ASEAN countries are willing to further enhance mutual trust and strengthen alignment with the Belt and Road Initiative, deepen cooperation in agriculture, trade, investment, digital economy, technology, education, culture, and other fields, and work together to address global challenges such as climate change, they said.

ASEAN countries welcome the progress made in formulating the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" and look forward to the early completion of the negotiations on upgrading of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, they added.

A joint statement was issued at the meeting on strengthening alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific for mutually beneficial cooperation.

The meeting also adopted a number of documents on cooperation between China and ASEAN in the fields of agriculture, E-commerce, and scientific and technological innovation.

2024 was declared as the China-ASEAN Year of Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges at the meeting.