Senior Chinese diplomat says China-ASEAN ties driving force for regional development, prosperity

Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi said on Friday that during his visit to Myanmar, he had an in-depth exchange of views with the Myanmar side on developing China-ASEAN relations and the two sides have reached multiple consensus.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in a written interview with Xinhua.

He said that Myanmar is an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and China attaches great importance to ASEAN and takes ASEAN as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy.

The senior Chinese official said China firmly supports ASEAN in its effort to grow more united and stronger, adding that China-ASEAN relations are a driving force for regional development and prosperity.

Noting that next year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of a dialogue partnership between China and ASEAN, Yang said that bilateral cooperation enjoys huge potential and broad prospects.

He called on the two sides to deepen their relations in a number of areas, saying that the first is to enhance political mutual trust, and to work together to implement the important consensus reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the leaders of the ASEAN countries.

Secondly, he said the two sides should promote mutually-beneficial development, and further align the Belt and Road Initiative with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.

Thirdly, Yang said the two sides should work closely in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak, adding that they should actively promote joint prevention and control, and strengthen cooperation in research and development of vaccines and medicines.

The fourth is to maintain regional stability, said Yang, adding that China is willing to maintain close coordination and cooperation with ASEAN on international, regional and global issues, support multilateralism, preserve regional peace and stability, and safeguard international fairness and justice.