Politics
11:30, 04-Aug-2018
Wang Yi stresses 'shared responsibility' among ASEAN, China, Japan, S. Korea
Updated
10:41, 07-Aug-2018
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"With rising trade protectionism, the ASEAN Plus Three cooperation has strong vibrancy, demonstrating the desire and determination of regional countries to promote trade liberalization and uphold multilateralism," Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Singapore on Saturday.
"This is our shared responsibility, and what the international community expects from us," he added, calling on cooperation between ASEAN and its three dialogue partners in East Asia to be strengthened amid rising protectionism.
Wang made the remarks while attending ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting with foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan and South Korea.
China, Japan and South Korea are ASEAN dialogue partners, making up the ASEAN Plus Three mechanism. The ministers reaffirmed its important role in peace, security and prosperity in East Asia – as guided by the Manila Declaration they signed last year.
Commenting on future ASEAN Plus Three cooperation, Wang suggested that the countries involved should promote regional economic integration and build an East Asian economic community, expressing the hope that concrete progress can be made in negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by the end of the year.
Foreign ministers from Japan, South Korea and ASEAN countries agreed that ASEAN Plus Three cooperation is more important than ever in the context of growing unilateral protectionism, and called for enhanced solidarity among the 13 nations.
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