Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee  Photo: mfa.gov.cn

 
ASEAN together with China, Japan and South Korea should strengthen cooperation and jointly meet common challenges, China's top diplomat Wang Yi said on Thursday in Jakarta when attending the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the APT is one of the most mature mechanisms for East Asian regional cooperation.

Wang called on the regional countries to push for economic recovery. China has provided support for economic and technological cooperation under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and helped ASEAN members enhance their abilities to implement the RCEP free trade deal.

Wang urged the promotion of sustainable development, noting that China has provided medical supplies, emergency rice reserves and assisted with poverty alleviation cooperation for regional partners.

He also appealed to regional countries to resume personnel exchanges, which includes increasing commercial flights between countries in the region and an orderly resumption of international tourism.

Wang put forward three proposals for the next stage of APT cooperation.

First, uphold opening-up and cooperation, and accelerate the regional integration. Wang called for supporting Hong Kong's accession to RCEP. He also said China supports the construction of stable, smooth and comparative advantage-based regional production and supply chains.

Second, uphold common security and improve the effectiveness of crisis response. China will continue to donate funds to the APT Emergency Rice Reserve mechanism, strengthen the ASEAN food security information system and better safeguard regional food security.

Wang noted that the dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from Japan has a bearing on the safety of the marine environment and human health. Japan should think twice before moving ahead and should not follow through on its plan without authorization.

Third, uphold innovation's leading role and tap the potential of sustainable development. Wang said China supports ASEAN's statement on the development of the APT electric vehicle ecosystem and it will continue to promote cooperation in the areas of poverty alleviation, village official exchanges and rural development.

The foreign ministers of Japan, South Korea and ASEAN countries said that the APT mechanism, born in response to regional crisis management, has continued to expand its areas of cooperation and become increasingly effective.

The mechanism has played a key role in helping regional countries to achieve a robust post-pandemic recovery and sustainable development, and has become a solid and reliable anchor of stability, they said.

All the parties support an open and inclusive ASEAN-centered regional cooperation framework, adhere to multilateralism, and maintain regional peace, stability and prosperity.

They also agreed to focus on new growth points such as the digital economy, innovation and technology, energy transformation, and electric vehicles to inject new impetus into regional connectivity and resilience and help ASEAN become a global growth center.