Secretary-General of ASEAN Calls for Closer Cooperation with China

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn called for joint efforts to further elevate the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

During a meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Wednesday, Hourn acknowledged China's longstanding support for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) integration and its position as a vital strategic partner, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

Secretary-General Hourn said the relationship between the two sides has been strengthened with growing mutual trust.

The Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang emphasized the importance of the partnership amid the changing global and regional landscape, noting the Asia-Pacific region faces a choice between peace and confrontation, cooperation and division.

The Chinese side is willing to join hands with ASEAN to face up to challenges and reject "decoupling" and "erecting walls", he added.

Qin noted that the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership is progressing at a favorable pace, highlighting the significant milestones in the partnership, including the 10th anniversary of building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

He expressed China's willingness to continue to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and ASEAN, promote the construction of the "five homes" with ASEAN, and support its secretariat in jointly promoting new achievements in China-ASEAN cooperation and East Asia cooperation.

The "five homes" refer to political security, economy, social and cultural matters, sustainable development, and external affairs. It is a key component of China's vision for cooperation with ASEAN.

China will maintain its focus on ASEAN in its regional diplomacy, reinforce the unity and community-building efforts of the organization, and strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and ASEAN.

The two sides will continue to work together to deepen their economic ties, improve people-to-people exchanges, strengthen regional connectivity, and push for new progress in the consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea to maintain peace and stability in the region.