Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said on Friday that NATO's involvement in East Asia is "unjustified."
"Regional peace, which depends on the development and common prosperity of all countries, should not be based on the pursuit of absolute security by a few countries," Wang said when attending the 13th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The East Asia Summit is a widely representative and influential cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region, and in the face of the current profound changes in the international and regional situation, the East Asia Summit should safeguard the hard-won peace and stability in the region, the senior Chinese diplomat said.
Noting that the ASEAN centrality is an outcome of historical evolution and the greatest common denominator for stances all parties hold, Wang called for "effective supports for ASEAN's centrality" which could build the foundation for peace.
China is willing to explore cooperation with all parties in the context of the Global Security Initiative, and take the lead in signing the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, he added.
Wang also advocated for all the ASEAN countries to work together to create regional growth centers and promote joint development.
Wang said all the countries in the region should jointly safeguard the right direction of economic globalization, adhere to an open, free, fair, inclusive and rule-based multilateral trading system, and oppose protectionism and "decoupling." The countries should also continue to promote the construction of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area, so as to create a win-win environment for the region's development through healthy competition and cooperation, he said.
Noting that countries in the region should uphold true multilateralism and strengthen positive exchanges, Wang emphasized that China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to promote the purposes and principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and put Asia-Pacific cooperation back on the right track.