Sino-ASEAN cooperation vibrant: FM

China willing to work with member states to act on true multilateralism, forum told

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations exemplify the most vibrant and productive cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang told an ASEAN forum.

And China stands ready to work with ASEAN and continue to be good neighbors who help each other, good friends who respect and trust each other, and good partners who pursue mutual benefits, Qin said in a congratulatory message on Thursday to the Jakarta Forum on ASEAN-China Relations: Commemorating The 20th Anniversary of China's Accession to the Treaty of Amity And Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

China officially acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, or TAC, on Oct 8,2003, becoming the first among major countries to join the TAC and to establish a strategic partnership with ASEAN.

"Over the past 20 years, especially the last decade since President Xi Jinping put forward the idea of building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, China and ASEAN have successfully followed a path of good neighborliness and common development," Qin said in the message read out by Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong.

"China will work with ASEAN to uphold the purposes and principles of the TAC, act on true multilateralism, and safeguard regional rules and order to preserve the hard-won peace and development in the region."

Efforts appreciated

China's continuous and consistent support of cooperation and peaceful coexistence in Southeast Asia has gained the appreciation of ASEAN leaders and forum speakers.

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn highlighted China's important role as one of ASEAN's key partners that supports its community-building efforts, which is a key instrument of peace in the region.

Kao also reflected on the 20th anniversary of China's signing of the TAC and its contributions to strengthening the ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations in the years to come.

Pou Sothirak, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said TAC principles reaffirm the China-held Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

Also attending the forum were Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong and Li Zhaoxing, former foreign minister of China.

Cui Tiankai, former Chinese vice-minister of foreign affairs and Chinese ambassador to the United States, moderated a panel discussion on two decades of progress made by the two sides in line with the TAC spirit of cooperation. Dino Patti Djalal, founder and chairman of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, later chaired a panel exploring challenges and prospects for the implementation of the TAC.

Aleksius Jemadu, political professor and dean of the Universitas Pelita Harapan's Faculty of Social and Political Sciences in Indonesia, said the principal challenges in implementing TAC principles include the question of how much ASEAN members put into the treaty even when their strategic interests are at stake. "In other words, the effectiveness of the TAC depends on what all parties take or make it to be," he said.

In her closing remarks, China Ambassador to ASEAN Hou Yanqi said by building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, the two sides are contributing to a better future for Asia.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.