Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Monday that China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with various parties, uphold openness and cooperation, and continuously unleash economic potential to explore broader development space.

Addressing the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Malaysia, Li first congratulated Timor-Leste on officially joining the ASEAN family. Over the past year, cooperation among ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea has generally maintained a positive momentum, demonstrating the resilience and vitality of the East Asian economy, Li said. At the same time, due to complex changes in the international economic and trade landscape, East Asia is facing increasing economic difficulties and challenges, with growing instability and uncertainty in development, he added.

In confronting these difficulties, Li said, wisdom and strength can be drawn from the past. For decades, East Asia has been one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, producing one economic miracle after another – achievements that continue to inspire and fill us with pride, he added. Openness and cooperation are valuable lessons learned through practice and should always be cherished and pushed forward, so that they remain a key advantage and a key to success for East Asia's economy, Li said. 

He emphasized that the East Asian Miracle is not just a story of the past but one that is still unfolding. Li urged relevant parties to create an environment that promotes regional development. To fully safeguard the hard-earned peace and stability in East Asia, he called for continued commitment to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, supporting free trade and the multilateral trading system, opposing all forms of protectionism, and steadily advancing regional economic integration.

The premier also encouraged strengthening collaboration across industrial and supply chains, urging relevant parties to leverage their respective strengths, further promote connectivity and cooperation, and enhance the division of labor and collaboration to improve the efficiency of factor flows. China is willing to work with all parties to implement the statement on strengthening regional economic and financial cooperation issued at the meeting, and to promote practical cooperation in finance, trade, and food security to create more highlights and growth points for cooperation, he added.

Li called for joint efforts to develop and strengthen new growth drivers. He urged all parties to increase support for scientific and technological innovation, conduct joint research, continuously improve innovation capacity "from zero to one," and enhance the efficiency of iteration "from one to N" to make innovation a key driver of development.

He also expressed China's readiness to deepen cooperation with all parties in areas such as digital economy, electric vehicles, and clean energy to seize development opportunities together.