Chinese FM meets ASEAN secretary-general on cooperation

JAKARTA - Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that in view of promoting global multi- polarization and beefing up solidarity among developing countries, China sincerely hopes the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) to make continuous achievements in its development.

China's new government will continue to encourage ASEAN to increasingly develop and grow stronger, firmly support ASEAN in its construction of the ASEAN Community and integration process, and firmly support ASEAN in continuing to play a leading role in regional cooperation, Wang said when meeting with ASEAN's Secretary-General Le Luong Minh.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of strategical partnership between China and ASEAN, it also marks a new historic starting point for the relations between the two, Wang said.

On the basis of summing up the successful experiences of exchanges and cooperation, the two should make joint efforts to map out the blueprint of friendly cooperation for the next decade and jointly take actively measures to boost the development of the strategical partnership, Wang stressed.

Wang also pointed out that the two sides should focus on strengthening interconnection and interworking, making good use of the China-ASEAN maritime cooperation fund to promote maritime cooperation, and actively boosting the establishment of regional comprehensive economic partnership based on ASEAN+1 and ASEAN+3 in bid to safeguard and expand the justified rights and interests of developing nations.

Le Luong Minh expressed his appreciation of China's substantial support to ASEAN and to the ASEAN-China relationship. He said that the ASEAN-China strategical partnership covers extensive fields and is vibrant, adding ASEAN was willing to facilitate the anniversary celebration activities along with China.

He also noted ASEAN was set to deepen in an all-round way the cooperation with China in a wide range of fields including politics, construction of free trade zone, science and technology and health, so as to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability and boost mutual development.