On March 27, 2023, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Kao Kim Hourn in Beijing.
Qin Gang said that China maintains high-level stability and consistency of its domestic and foreign policies, remains committed to achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernization, and will inject more stabilizing factors into regional peace and tranquility, and provide more and stronger momentum for regional development and prosperity. This year marks the 10th anniversary of building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future proposed by President Xi Jinping, and also the 20th anniversary of China's joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. China and ASEAN have explored a path of peaceful coexistence between neighboring countries with different sizes, and set a benchmark of good-neighborliness and friendship. China is ready to work with ASEAN to carry forward the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and the spirit of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and join hands to safeguard rules and order in the region. China is ready to be the first to sign the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, and work with ASEAN to advocate solidarity and win-win results and jointly safeguard regional security and stability. China appreciates ten ASEAN countries for joining the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative, and stands ready to promote mutually beneficial cooperation in priority fields between the Belt and Road Initiative and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. China hopes that the two sides will take the full entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership as an opportunity to achieve stage-based outcomes of negotiations on a new round of upgrade of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area at an early date, and provide new impetus for economic growth of East Asia. China is ready to work with ASEAN to jointly implement the Global Civilization Initiative and increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges, to provide inexhaustible driving forces for mutually beneficial cooperation between both sides.
Qin Gang pointed out that China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to remove external interference, comprehensively and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and adopt the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea as soon as possible, to provide institutional guarantees for building the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation. Myanmar is a member of the ASEAN family, and China fully supports ASEAN in promoting constructive talks and mediation in the ASEAN way.
Kao Kim Hourn said that China is a good partner of ASEAN, and ASEAN is ready to further strengthen cooperation with China in various fields, accelerate negotiations on a new round of upgrade of the Free Trade Area, host events commemorating the 20th anniversary of China's joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN-China Expo, speed up consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and join hands to safeguard regional security and stability and promote regional common prosperity. ASEAN appreciates China for supporting ASEAN centrality and playing a constructive role in deescalating the situation in Myanmar, supports the Global Development Initiative proposed by China, agrees on exchanges and mutual learning among diversified civilizations, and stands ready to carry out cooperation with China to follow through on relevant initiatives.
