Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called on Asian and European countries to take the lead in safeguarding multilateralism, which he hailed as the "golden key" to addressing global challenges. 

Wang made the remarks at the 14th Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Spain. 

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The goal of multilateralism, no matter which version, is to promote world peace and development, he said. 

"The international order cannot be trampled on, and international agreements cannot be withdrawn at will. We need to jointly safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and abide by the international law. We oppose the overriding of self-interest over other countries, oppose the distortion of international law, oppose long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions," he stressed. 

Wang said to practice multilateralism, every country must adhere to the principles of fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation.  

"We must respect each other and treat each other as equals, abandon the old Cold War mentality, and respect other countries' development path in accordance with their own national conditions. It is necessary to actively promote the alignment of development strategies such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Eurasian Interconnection Strategy, and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025." 

Speaking of digital hegemony, Wang said the new round of scientific and technological revolution should become a new impetus for common development and new opportunities shared by all countries. 

"We must tap the growth impetus through innovation and cooperation, oppose technological blockade and digital hegemony, and oppose the creation of a technological gap and decoupling of development," said the minister. 

"Cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, and biotechnology are related to global economic development. Countries are obliged to provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises from other countries to invest in their countries," Wang added.