Chinese FM meets with ASEAN secretary-general

BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in Beijing on Friday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China consistently prioritizes ASEAN in its neighborhood diplomacy, and supports ASEAN in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs.

Guided by the central conference on work related to neighboring countries held in April this year, China will work with ASEAN member states to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, he said.

Wang said that under current circumstances, China and ASEAN should focus on cooperation in three key areas.

First, the two sides should work together to uphold free trade and the multilateral trading system. Wang noted that as major forces in the Global South, China and ASEAN should strengthen solidarity and cooperation to reject unilateralism, safeguard WTO rules, and ensure the authority and integrity of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Second, the two sides should fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), fostering a new narrative of peace, friendship and cooperation in the South China Sea, Wang said.

Third, the two sides should work together to maintain regional peace and stability. "Recent clashes on the border between Cambodia and Thailand which caused casualties are deeply distressing," Wang said, noting that China -- a common friend and neighbor to both nations -- stands ready to maintain an impartial position and continue playing a constructive role in de-escalating tensions.

For his part, Kao Kim Hourn expressed appreciation for China's firm support of ASEAN's centrality in regional cooperation, and of the construction of the ASEAN community.

ASEAN looks forward to leveraging the fifth anniversary of the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership in 2026 to enhance its strategic alignment with China and deepen practical cooperation across all fields, Kao Kim Hourn said.

On the recent border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, Kao Kim Hourn thanked China for its active efforts to promote peace talks. ■