Xi’s Southeast Asia tour promotes good-neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation, says Chinese FM

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s just-concluded Southeast Asia tour focused on good-neighborly relations, promoted mutually beneficial cooperation and achieved complete success, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said during a press briefing that Xi’s trip to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from Monday to Friday was the first overseas tour of the Chinese head of state this year. It sent a strong signal that China firmly supports multilateralism and international trade rules.

On Xi’s visit to Vietnam, Wang said that the strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries is the biggest advantage and the most important political guarantee for the development of China-Vietnam relations.

The leaders of the two parties and countries unanimously confirmed that, in accordance with the overarching goals characterized by “six mores,” the two sides will advance the development of their comprehensive strategic cooperation with higher quality and at deeper levels, and accelerate the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, Wang stated.

During Xi’s visit to Vietnam, bilateral railway cooperation was expanded and upgraded, which particularly demonstrated the determination of the two countries to seek common development, Wang added.

On Xi’s visit to Malaysia, Wang said its most significant outcome was that the leaders of the two countries elevated China-Malaysia relations to a new height and announced the building of a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future.

This marks another leap in the positioning of the bilateral relationship after China and Malaysia announced the joint building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future in 2023, Wang noted.

A highlight of this visit is that the two sides agreed to become a pacesetter for regional cooperation on new quality productive forces, focusing on cutting-edge fields such as the digital economy, green economy and artificial intelligence, he added.

Speaking of Xi’s visit to Cambodia, Wang noted that the highlight was the joint announcement by Xi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on elevating the China-Cambodia relationship to an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, marking the first time that China has elevated its bilateral relationship with a Southeast Asian country to an all-weather level.

Wang said that during Xi’s Southeast Asia tour, the Chinese president pointed out that economic globalization benefits all countries, and no country can retreat into isolation.

Trade wars will undermine the international trading system, the stability of the global economic order, and the legitimate interests of all countries in the world, especially developing countries, Xi noted.

As key members of the Global South, China and neighboring countries should strengthen coordination and cooperation, stand together to combat the undercurrent of camp-based confrontation, jointly oppose unilateralism, and counter the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, with the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness. This will safeguard the bright prospects of our Asian family, Xi said.

Xi underscored that despite the headwind of mounting protectionism, China will pursue high-quality development, expand high-standard opening-up and share development opportunities with neighboring countries.

China’s mega market is always open to neighboring countries, and China welcomes more high-quality products from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, he added.