Wang Yi Talks about the Outcomes of All-Round Mutually Beneficial Cooperation Between China and ASEAN

外交部
2023-07-19 10:07

On July 13, 2023 local time, Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi briefed on the outcomes of the all-round mutually beneficial cooperation between China and ASEAN on the sidelines of the ASEAN-China (10+1) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta.

Wang Yi said that over the past 20 years, China and ASEAN have actively acted on the purposes and principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, expanded mutually beneficial cooperation across the board, and successfully embarked on a right path toward long-term good-neighborliness, friendship, and common development and prosperity.

First, jointly advance the building of a community with a shared future. China and ASEAN have supported each other, sharing development opportunities and overcoming the challenges of the pandemic together, and the idea that we are a community with a shared future has taken deeper root in the heart of the people. China has reached important common understandings with Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia on jointly building a community with a shared future. China and ASEAN have established a comprehensive strategic partnership, and are jointly building a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home together, which is an important practice in building an even closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Second, jointly advance Belt and Road cooperation. It was during his visit to Indonesia in 2013 that President Xi Jinping proposed to jointly build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Over the past decade, landmark projects have been completed in succession, including the opening of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway in Cambodia, the launch of the first fast cross-border passenger train service between China and ASEAN on the China-Laos Railway, the beginning of the countdown to the official launch of the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway, the first of its kind in ASEAN, and the opening of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor which created a golden channel for trans-regional cooperation, bringing tangible benefits to more than two billion people.

Third, jointly promote regional economic integration. China and ASEAN took the lead in establishing a free trade area, driving the process of regional integration. The two sides have become each other's largest trading partner, and the trade volume is expected to exceed one trillion U.S. dollars this year. The two sides have actively moved with the negotiations on version 3.0 of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, pushed for the full entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and staunchly supported free trade and open market.

Fourth, jointly consolidate the foundation of peace and stability. China takes an active part in and firmly supports the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture, and supports the architecture in upholding the concept of openness and inclusiveness and shielding development from interference. China welcomes the successful completion of the second reading of the draft text of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), supports all parties in forming a guideline document to accelerate the conclusion of the COC, and stands ready to continue to play a constructive role for an early conclusion of the COC.