China firmly supports building of ASEAN Community: Premier

VIENTIANE -- China firmly supports the building of the ASEAN Community, as well as ASEAN's central position in regional cooperation and its greater role in international affairs, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday.

China is ready to have in-depth exchanges of views with all parties on major regional cooperative issues and contribute to joint efforts in making the region an important engine for global development, he added.

Li made the remarks in a written statement released upon his arrival at Vientiane's Wattay International Airport in the evening.

He will attend leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation, and pay an official visit to Laos at the invitation of Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the current chair of the ASEAN.

In the statement, Li noted that since the beginning of this year, Laos has actively played a leading role as the rotating chair of ASEAN, focusing on practical cooperation, building consensus among all parties, and pushing for new progress and new achievements in the building of ASEAN Community and East Asia cooperation.

Li pointed out that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, and Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao president, China and Laos have continued to deepen and consolidate their comprehensive strategic cooperation, and the bilateral relations have entered a new era of building a community with a shared future.

At present, China is further deepening reform in an all-round way and working toward the Second Centenary Goal of building itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects, while Laos is embarking on a new journey featuring reforms and opening-up to further advance its socialist cause, Li said.

China is ready to work with Laos to further synergize their development strategies, strengthen solidarity and coordination, and push for more substantive progress in building a China-Laos community with a shared future, so as to better benefit the two peoples, he added.

During his stay, Li will attend the 27th China-ASEAN Summit, the 27th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit to be held from Oct. 9 to 12.