Wang Yi: China to build East Asian community under ASEAN Plus Three mechanism

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday that China is ready to work with all parties to build an East Asian community under the mechanism of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan and South Korea, known as ASEAN Plus Three.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, that China is willing to unite and collaborate with all parties, uphold openness and inclusiveness, and firmly push forward the regional economic integration process towards the goal of establishing the East Asian community.

Under the new circumstances, East Asia faces both challenges and opportunities, Wang said, adding that as one of the most mature mechanisms for regional cooperation in East Asia, ASEAN Plus Three has been deeply engaged in practical cooperation in various fields over the past 20 years and has led regional countries in tackling challenges such as the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that after a lapse of four years, the China-Japan-ROK leaders' meeting was successfully held two months ago and reached an important consensus on promoting East Asia cooperation, injecting new impetus into the ASEAN Plus Three cooperation.

In the face of global and regional challenges, regional countries have a stronger call for stable development and a more urgent need to address risks and challenges, the Chinese foreign minister stated, saying China is ready to work with all parties to continue to support ASEAN centrality in regional architecture, give full play to the ASEAN Plus Three mechanism, deepen cooperation in areas of traditional strength and expand cooperation in emerging areas.

China has put forward a four-point proposal for East Asia cooperation in the next stage. First, deepening economic integration and promoting regional connectivity.

China supports greater regional supply chain connectivity and will hold an ASEAN Plus Three industrial and supply chain connectivity conference this year. China will give full play to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), promote its high-quality implementation, accelerate the resumption of negotiations on the China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Area and continuously upgrade the level of East Asian economic integration.

Second, strengthening crisis response capacity and maintaining regional stability.

China welcomes the establishment of a rapid financing facility under the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization and looks forward to working with other parties to improve the regional financial safety net to better cope with international economic and financial turbulence. China has fulfilled its contribution to the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve Mechanism this year and is ready to explore mechanism innovation to enhance regional food security.

Third, expanding cooperation in emerging areas and leading regional development.

China is ready to expand cooperation with all parties on digitalization and green transformation and implement the statement on developing an electric vehicle ecosystem. China will host the ASEAN Plus Three Clean Energy Roundtable Dialogue and other activities to promote the development of a low-carbon economy and is ready to further leverage the role of the ASEAN Plus Three small and medium enterprises service alliance.

Fourth, promoting social and cultural exchanges to build regional consensus.

China supports further leveraging the ASEAN Plus Three civil service cooperation mechanism, continues to support more students from ASEAN countries to join the CAMPUS Asia Program, will hold forums on immigration management and addressing aging, and promote exchanges and cooperation in such areas as health, journalism, culture, tourism, youth, women and think tanks, so as to consolidate the social foundation for East Asian cooperation.

During the meeting, foreign ministers of ASEAN countries expressed high appreciation for the unique role and positive outcomes of the ASEAN Plus Three mechanism and agreed to implement the RCEP in a high-quality manner to maintain economic and financial stability and unblocked supply chains.

They hope that the ASEAN Plus Three mechanism will continue to provide strong support for strengthening regional resilience, ensuring food security, promoting connectivity and achieving green development.

The parties also put forward suggestions on strengthening cooperation in smart agriculture, digital transformation and crisis response.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: A file photo of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. /CFP)