Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday that China is willing to work with ASEAN partners to uphold mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation and work together to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. 

Li made the remarks in a congratulatory message to a launch activity of the China-ASEAN Year of Sustainable Development Cooperation. 

Promoting sustainable development is a fundamental solution to many global problems, Li stressed. 

"Last year, the leaders of ASEAN and I jointly announced the decision to make 2021 the China-ASEAN Year of Sustainable Development Cooperation, in the hope that the two sides will strengthen cooperation in ecological protection, disaster prevention and mitigation, climate change and poverty reduction, so as to create favorable conditions for the region to achieve sustainable development in many aspects," Li said in the message. 

He pointed out that this year also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, and relations and cooperation between the two sides have made significant development.  

"China has always regarded ASEAN as a priority in our neighborhood diplomacy," Li noted, adding that China has always supported ASEAN to strengthen its central position in regional cooperation and to play a greater role in building an open and inclusive regional architecture. 

(Cover: A container wharf at Qinzhou port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 11, 2019. /Xinhua)