State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi

China firmly supports Indonesia in hosting a successful Bali Summit, eliminating distractions to achieve the established agenda and goals, and leading the Group of Twenty (G20) in the right direction, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a phone call with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi at the latter's request on Wednesday.

The two sides mainly exchanged views on the G20 Bali Summit and agreed to strengthen communication and coordination to ensure the success of the summit, according to a statement on the official website of China's Foreign Ministry.

Observers said that the discussion, which came after the US announced on Monday its Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a plan widely believed to be aimed at isolating China, sent a clear signal that China, as well as other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, sticks to openness, cooperation, and an inclusive and open stance, rather than one that is discriminatory and exclusive.

China firmly supports Indonesia in playing its role as the president of the G20, eliminating interference to achieve the established agenda goals, and leading the G20 in the right direction. This is also in line with the common expectations of most G20 members and the international community, Wang said. 

"The UN Security Council is the right platform to discuss political and security issues, while the G20 should stay committed to focusing on macroeconomic policy coordination and fulfilling its due mission," Wang said.

Wang noted that global governance is entering an "Asian moment," as Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia will each host important multilateral conferences, and China is also preparing for the BRICS Summit. 

Not long ago, the three countries issued a joint statement sending a common message of Asia strengthening solidarity and meeting challenges together.

China fully supports and actively echoes that. Facing the turbulent international situation, Asian countries should play an active role in peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large, the senior official said.

The 17th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will take place on November 15-16 in Bali. 

The biggest difference between the IPEF and G20 is that the G20 is guided by economic cooperation, and focuses on the global economic recovery, whereas the G20 more represents an existing model of global governance that has proven to be effective, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Xu noted that the IPEF is more of a geopolitical consideration,which actually creates confrontation, thus it is "difficult to be optimistic" about its prospects.

The US' intention of establishing a small circle will create some noise in the region, but it will not affect the development trend of win-win cooperation in the region, because this is in line with the fundamental interests of all countries. Xu said.

Global Times