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China, ASEAN member states enjoying closer relations, more shared objectives Senior diplomats of China and its Southeast Asian neighbors are
engaged in a slew of intensive talks, and fresh consensuses and outcomes
are being reached regarding their joint fight against COVID-19, keeping
their economies afloat and ensuring there is no interference in other
nations' internal affairs. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in eastern China's
Fujian province hosting visiting foreign ministers of Singapore,
Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines for a series of one-on-one
meetings that started on Wednesday. Observers said the lingering pandemic is bringing China and all 10
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations even closer, and
their renewed commitment to common growth and the peaceful settlement of
disputes and conflicts has further transcended geopolitical
considerations. As a part of frequent official contacts between China and ASEAN
members, Wang paid official visits to Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei and the
Philippines from Jan 11 to 16. In addition, Wang talked with Lao
Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith via video link on Feb 3. After his ongoing series of meetings are completed on Friday, Wang
will have held bilateral ministerial-level talks this year－in person or
via video link－with seven of the 10 ASEAN member countries. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and ASEAN countries
have maintained frequent high-level contacts, and the fight against the
virus has made constant progress, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua
Chunying said on Thursday. She added that the series of exchanges between Wang and his Southeast
Asian counterparts shows the "ever-increasing bond" among the
neighbors. ASEAN became China's largest trade partner last year, and this year
marks the 30th anniversary of the start of the China-ASEAN dialogue
partnership. Beijing looks forward to strengthening strategic mutual trust,
boosting the building of the Belt and Road and bringing China-ASEAN ties
and bilateral ties with nations to a new level to further ensure
regional peace and growth, Hua said. "China is one of the Strategic Dialogue Partners with which ASEAN has
the most substantial cooperation," Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian
Balakrishnan told Xinhua News Agency before his China trip. Both sides are working to enhance the ASEAN-China Free Trade
Agreement and are tackling new priorities resulting from the pandemic,
such as the digital economy and public health, he added. Advancing vaccination and reciprocal recognition of health
certificate QR codes to deal with the protracted pandemic were among the
topics of Wang's talks with the Singaporean minister on Wednesday.
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