The China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Manila on Thursday, bringing together senior diplomats to discuss ways to deepen regional cooperation and strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership.
The meeting was co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, whose country serves as the coordinating country for China-ASEAN relations. Foreign ministers from ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretary-General also attended the meeting.
Addressing the gathering, Wang Yi noted that this year marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Guided by the strategic direction of leaders on both sides, China-ASEAN cooperation has continued to grow in a stable and dynamic manner, benefiting more than two billion people and laying a stronger foundation for building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
He said the development of China-ASEAN relations demonstrates that mutual respect and trust form the cornerstone of good-neighborly relations, sincerity is the key to peaceful coexistence, win-win cooperation is the foundation of shared success, and openness and inclusiveness are essential for common prosperity.
Wang also noted that China recently celebrated the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Over the past 105 years, he said, the CPC has united and led more than 1.4 billion Chinese people through sustained efforts, achieving remarkable progress, contributing significantly to the advancement of human civilization, and profoundly reshaping the global development landscape.
He further stated that in response to a series of global challenges, President Xi Jinping has proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, along with the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and Global AI Governance Initiative. According to Wang, these initiatives are designed to promote peaceful development, address deficits in development, security, and governance, and contribute to building a more just and equitable global governance system.
China, he said, remains committed to upholding the principles of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit. It is willing to work more closely with ASEAN to improve the well-being of people across the region, strengthen unity in addressing emerging challenges and uncertainties, and continue advancing the vision of the “Five Homes” community, aimed at fostering a peaceful, safe, prosperous, beautiful, and friendly regional community.
Wang stressed that such cooperation will enable China and ASEAN to continue serving as a driving force for Asia’s development and rejuvenation, a model for Asia-Pacific regional cooperation, and a benchmark for solidarity and self-reliance among Global South countries.
During the meeting, the Chinese foreign minister put forward four proposals for future cooperation:
Maintaining a peaceful and development-oriented regional environment;
Enhancing regional resilience for sustainable development;
Promoting innovation-driven and green development;
Upholding a people-centered approach to regional cooperation.
On the South China Sea issue, Wang reiterated China’s policy position, describing the sea as “our shared home.” He expressed confidence that China and ASEAN countries possess the wisdom and capability to properly manage differences through dialogue.
He emphasized the importance of fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), resisting external interference, opposing attempts by any country to use the South China Sea issue as a pretext for unilateral actions, and ensuring that peace and stability in the region remain firmly in the hands of regional countries.
“We are now at a crucial stage in negotiating a Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea,” Wang said. “We should seize this opportunity, eliminate interference, and work together to achieve this important objective.”
Participants at the meeting highly praised the achievements made during the past five years under the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They agreed that China remains ASEAN’s important friendly neighbor, as well as its largest trading partner and one of its most significant dialogue partners.
ASEAN foreign ministers also expressed support for China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and welcomed the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping as constructive contributions to international cooperation and sustainable development.
Source: Lily and Faisal, China Media Group (CMG).