Spokesperson says China ready to contribute more to peace, prosperity in Southeast Asia

A foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday that China stands ready to work with Southeast Asian countries to further enhance mutual understanding and trust, deepen friendly ties, pursue common development and prosperity and make greater contribution to regional peace and prosperity.

In response to a related query about the recent frequent interactions between China and Southeast Asian countries, spokesperson Lin Jian said the exchanges between the two sides have reached new heights, which speaks to the common aspiration of regional countries for solidarity, cooperation and development and demonstrates the robust growth of relations between China and neighboring countries.

Lin told a daily press briefing that under the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, the two sides have achieved fruitful outcomes in high-quality cooperation and made solid steps in building a community with a shared future.

He went on to cite developments in the building of a community with a shared future with relevant Southeast Asian countries both bilaterally and multilaterally and progress in major projects including the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway, the China-Laos Railway, Malaysia's East Coast Rail Link, and the China-Laos-Thailand international freight train service.

Lin noted visa-free arrangement between China and Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Laos produced remarkable results, and the "Lancang-Mekong visa" policy was officially implemented.

Lin also pointed out that China and relevant countries reached important common understandings on properly putting maritime differences under control, enhancing maritime cooperation, speeding up consultations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly keeping the South China Sea peaceful and stable.

"Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific is the shared home of China and neighboring countries. China has all along put the neighborhood as a priority in the overall diplomacy," Lin added.

(Cover: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian during a regular press conference in Beijing, China, November 18, 2024. /Chinese Foreign Ministry's website)