WNAM REPORT: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday reiterated his country’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with the ASEAN bloc, stressing regional peace and development.
“China will continue to act with ASEAN in the principle of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit to carry out even closer cooperation for the benefit of the people in this region and to respond to emerging challenges and uncertainties with greater solidarity,” Wang said in his remarks at the ASEAN-China Post-Ministerial Conference in the Philippines’ capital, Manila.
“Together, let us be the anchor of regional and global peace and development,” Wang told the 11-member bloc.
China, Wang added, has reached significant consensus with eight ASEAN countries on jointly building bilateral communities of shared interests, laying a more solid foundation for the construction of a closer China-ASEAN community of shared interests.
The meeting comes amid tensions between China and the Philippines over a clash between Filipino seafarers and the Chinese Coast Guard at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, known as Ren’ai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines.
Noting that ASEAN-China bilateral trade volume exceeded $1 trillion in 2025, Wang said Beijing has rolled out, in particular, the ASEAN visa to make people-to-people connectivity even more convenient and frequent.
“The cultural and people-to-people ties between the two sides have grown increasingly close. The journey our relationship has traveled shows again that mutual respect and mutual trust are the basis for good neighborliness,” he further said, adding that “sincerity is the way for cooperation.”
Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro said the two sides have reaffirmed their commitment to a “practical, forward-looking and mutually beneficial” ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
“We highlighted our cooperation under the ASEAN-China Plan of Action, including combating transnational crime, strengthening economic integration through the ASEAN-China FTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, and promoting digital economic cooperation,” she said in a post on the US social media platform X.
The two sides also exchanged views on various regional and international issues in support of peace, stability, and sustainable development, she added.
Wang discusses ties, cooperation with counterparts
Wang urged Australia to work with China to maintain the improving trajectory of bilateral ties, address differences through mutual respect and equality, and uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs while avoiding double standards during a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings on Tuesday, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia is ready to advance cooperation with China and address differences through dialogue and engagement.
Wang told Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in another meeting on Tuesday that China is ready to work with Canada to deepen their strategic partnership and inject greater certainty into a turbulent world.
Anand said Canada is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation in areas including energy, trade, finance, and counter-narcotics, while promoting people-to-people exchanges and addressing differences through dialogue.
During a meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, Wang said China was willing to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN, uphold the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South, and advance a more “just and reasonable” international order, adding that South China Sea issues should not become a “stumbling block” to China-ASEAN relations.
He also touched on the tensions with the Philippines, saying: “Certain forces within the Philippine military and maritime law enforcement ranks have deliberately provoked incidents in the South China Sea to serve the interests of external forces, undermining the process of improving China-Philippines relations as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
Wang said China is “ready to work with ASEAN to remove disruptive factors,” and called for faster consultations on the South China Sea Code of Conduct, while Kao said ASEAN supports the “dual-track approach” and closer cooperation with China in trade, investment, the digital economy, and other sectors.
Wang and Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan called for the early conclusion of consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to safeguard regional peace and stability.
Wang also said Beijing is ready to deepen all-round cooperation and promote maritime exchanges and collaboration with Malaysia.
