Phnom Penh – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as its other dialogue partners, Japan and South Korea, to be committed to safeguarding peace and stability and achieving development and prosperity.
Li made the remarks ASEAN Plus Three or APT Summit chaired by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that was attended by leaders of other ASEAN member-states, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
In a pull-aside meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Li said China is ready to work with the Philippines and other nations in securing peace and stability in the South China Sea.
“I forward to working with the Philippines and other countries in ASEAN for peace and stability in the South China Sea on the basis of mutual respect and respect for the Declaration of Conduct of Parties and international law,” Li told Mr. Marcos on the sidelines of the ASEAN Plus Three Summit.
Mr. Marcos earlier pushed for the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to serve as a guide for claimant-countries in the disputed waters.
The Philippine leader said the immediate conclusion of the COC becomes more relevant as nations mark 40 years of the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and 20 years of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
“It shall be an example of how states manage their differences: through reason and through right,” Mr. Marcos said, adding that he welcomed progress on the negotiations over the text of the COC, which he said he hoped would be approved “in the very near future.”
For his part, Li said the APT Summit is a major mechanism for East Asia cooperation, noting that the region is an important driver for global growth.
Countries should continue to commit themselves to safeguarding peace and stability, Li said, as he put forward a five-point proposal: to keep the process of regional economic integration going, including the full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership; maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains; improve crisis response capacity; deepen cultural, and people-to-people exchanges; and work to enable sustainable development.
“China is willing to bring new opportunities to other countries with its own development, and inject new impetus to the APT cooperation,” Li said.
