The opening ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, the capital city of South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on September 17, 2023. Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Chinese Premier Li Qiang hailed the close partnership between China and ASEAN at a key expo event on Sunday, saying the two parties have been adhering to unity and self-reliance, shoring up peace and tranquility in the region despite global volatility, and they have created together miracles of economic development.

Li made the remarks on Sunday during the opening ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, the capital city of South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The "China-ASEAN relationship has now become a fine example of the most successful and vibrant bilateral relations in the Asia-Pacific region, and a vivid example of a community with a shared future for mankind," Li said.

Against the backdrop of a sluggish global economy, China and ASEAN have achieved a rise in trade and investment. The trade volume between China and ASEAN has increased by 16.8 times in the past 20 years. The two parties have been the largest trading partners of one another for three consecutive years, and their two-way investment has exceeded $350 billion, according to Li.

"We insist on keeping the world in mind and jointly respond to various global challenges, especially in the fields of poverty reduction, climate change response, environmental protection, energy transformation and other fields, and continue to create new highlights in China-ASEAN cooperation," Li said.

As the global economic recovery is unstable and the growth of all countries faces pressure, Li called for further efforts to ramp up openness and inclusiveness, and strengthen unity and collaboration.

In the current world, where the international situation is marked with volatility, honesty and trustworthiness are becoming increasingly precious. With regard to economic and trade cooperation between two parties, the most important thing is whether each other is honest, follows the market rules and helps create a fair and stable policy environment for their collective development, Li said.

China and ASEAN are connected by mountains and rivers and have been closely related through their peoples. Since ancient times, the two parties have always maintained a deep and genuine friendship. "We should make full use of our various communication platforms, talk about our experiences, have more heart-to-heart conversations, further strengthen collaboration, bridge differences, enhance folk cultural links, and build a solid foundation for our common development," Li said.

China will continue to firmly support ASEAN-centered regional cooperation and joint construction, promote closer integration of the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of all ASEAN countries, and help ASEAN members achieve their respective development goals, Li noted.

China is also willing to work with ASEAN countries to continue to promote regional integration, while accelerate the process on the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN FTA negotiations, which is ongoing smoothly.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Expo, which runs from Saturday to Tuesday.

Foreign leaders and senior officials, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Indonesia's Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, and Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn attended the opening ceremony on Sunday.

Global Times