Senior Chinese diplomat calls for efforts to safeguard peace, stability in East Asia

Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (Front) attends the 13th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 14, 2023. [Photo by Xu Qin/Xinhua]

JAKARTA, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Friday called on the East Asia Summit to make efforts to safeguard regional peace and stability given profound changes in the international and regional situation.

While attending the 13th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Wang, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said the East Asia Summit is a cooperation mechanism with broad representation and important influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Chinese side would like to put forward three proposals, Wang said.

First, to earnestly support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) centrality and build a solid foundation for peace.

ASEAN centrality is the natural result of historical evolution and the greatest common ground of all parties, Wang said, noting that it is unreasonable for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to get involved in East Asia.

Regional peace depends on the common development and prosperity of all countries, and should not be based on a few countries' pursuit of absolute security. China stands ready to explore cooperation with other parties centered on the Global Security Initiative, and reiterates its willingness to lead in signing the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, Wang said.

Second, to jointly build a regional growth center and promote common development.

Wang urged joint efforts to safeguard the right direction of economic globalization and stay committed to an open, free, fair, inclusive and rules-based multilateral trading system.

He also called for opposing protectionism and "decoupling and severing supply chain," while advocating promotion of the building of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area, and a regional development environment of healthy competition and win-win cooperation.

China supports Indonesia's initiative to issue a leaders' statement on economic growth, which sends a positive signal of unity for development, he said.

Third, to advocate true multilateralism and enhance positive interaction.

China is willing to work with regional countries to implement the purposes and principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, uphold peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation, and practice true multilateralism, so as to put the Asia-Pacific cooperation back on the right track, Wang said.