China actively participates and firmly supports the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-centered regional cooperation architecture, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said on Thursday during the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Wang hailed the cooperation results between China and ASEAN, saying that China has reached a consensus with Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia on building a community with a shared future.
Since China proposed jointly building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road a decade ago, landmark projects have been completed, such as the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway connecting Cambodia’s capital and Sihanoukville, the launch of cross-border passenger services between China and ASEAN on the China-Laos Railway, he said.
The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has opened a golden channel for trans-regional cooperation, bringing tangible benefits for over two billion people, he said.
China and ASEAN have also taken the lead in establishing a free trade area that drives the process of regional integration, Wang noted.
The two sides have become each other’s largest trading partners, and the trade volume is expected to exceed $1 trillion this year, he said, adding that both sides are actively pushing forward negotiations on version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, and advocating free trade and market opening.
China welcomes the completion of the second reading of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and is ready to continue to play a constructive role in the early conclusion of the COC, he said.
