Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to jointly uphold open regionalism and deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership on Monday. 

He made the remarks while addressing ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia.

Wang congratulated ASEAN on its 55th anniversary, saying that the past 55 years have witnessed the extraordinary journey ASEAN has traveled and also has been "a golden era" for the development of Asia. The key to the Asian Miracle is the persistence of open regionalism, he said.

Quoting Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks that "openness is the lifeline of Asia-Pacific cooperation," Wang highlighted the importance of upholding the principle of peace, development, independence and inclusiveness and adhering to practicing open regionalism.

The Chinese foreign minister further expounded on ways to practice open regionalism and stressed the importance of peaceful coexistence, development, independence, and openness and inclusiveness.

'Dynamic and fruitful' China-ASEAN relations

Wang said China and ASEAN are linked by mountains and waters as well as hearts and aspirations. "We are always good neighbors, good friends and good partners with a shared future."

He said China-ASEAN relations have always stayed ahead in many areas. The cooperation between China and ASEAN countries against COVID-19 is a vivid testament to the deep friendship through thick and thin.

Currently, China and ASEAN are each other's largest trading partner, with trade volume soaring 100 times from 30 years before, and the two-way direct investment has exceeded $310 billion, he said.

China-ASEAN security cooperation has also been making steady progress, with differences and disputes being effectively managed, he added.

"Our region has secured such remarkable achievements and created exceptional miracles in growth, most fundamentally because countries in the region have adhered to open regionalism, respected and appreciated the diversities among members, and upheld and practiced the principle of voluntarism," Wang said.

'China follows a win-win strategy of opening-up'

As the world's largest developing country and an important member in Asia, China has always followed a path of peaceful development and a win-win strategy of opening-up, Wang said.

"We hope to champion open regionalism together with ASEAN and deepen our comprehensive strategic partnership," Wang said.

China will continue to support ASEAN centrality and promote solidarity and cooperation in the region. China firmly supports ASEAN's role in the "driver's seat," supports ASEAN community-building, and supports the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture, Wang said.

China will continue to call for settling differences in the Asian way and uphold regional peace and stability, Wang said.

China will work with other countries in the region to implement the Global Security Initiative, hoping to blaze a new path of security that chooses dialogue over confrontation, partnerships over alliances, and win-win outcome over zero-sum game, and put into practice principles for how neighbors may get along: trust as the basis, the greater good as priority, and sincerity in interaction, he said.

Wang said China and ASEAN countries are expediting the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea consultations and will continue to support ASEAN's efforts in building a nuclear-weapon-free zone.

China will continue to firmly pursue its open strategy for development and promote regional economic integration, Wang said. China is ready to launch a new round of upgrades of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area as soon as possible, and implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) across the board and promote its upgrade in due course. China is ready to sign high-standard free trade agreements with more countries, and it looks forward to closely integrating the development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and China-ASEAN cooperation.

China will continue to resolutely advance cooperation in science, technology and innovation to stimulate new drivers of development in the region, and continue to carry forward Asian values and deepen the bonds of friendship among the peoples, Wang said.

The Chinese foreign minister also met with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi on Monday.

(With input from Xinhua)