Chinese premier arrives in Jakarta for official visit, calls for ASEAN's greater role in int'l affairs

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 5, 2023. At the invitation of President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, Li will attend the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from September 5 to 8, and pay an official visit to Indonesia. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

JAKARTA, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China firmly supports ASEAN's central position in regional cooperation and its greater role in international affairs, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here on Tuesday.

Li made the remarks upon his arrival here for an official visit to Indonesia, where he will also attend the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit.

To welcome Li, honor guards marched along the red carpet to pay tribute, and local people in traditional costumes performed Indonesian folk dances. Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang, Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Hou Yanqi and other officials greeted Li at the airport.

Noting that the visit is his first to an Asian country as premier, Li said that China stands ready to have in-depth exchanges of views with all parties on major issues of regional cooperation, strengthen solidarity and coordination, share development opportunities, work together to meet challenges, and promote East Asia to continuously serve as an important engine for global development.

Li pointed out that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, China-Indonesia relations have developed rapidly, setting an example of developing countries to work together and cooperate for joint development.

China is ready to work with Indonesia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, build a closer China-Indonesia community with a shared future, promote integrated and mutually reinforcing modernization through high-level and all-round strategic cooperation, and inject more stability and new momentum into international and regional cooperation, Li added.

During the visit, Li will also hold talks with Widodo and attend events including the Indonesia Sustainability Forum 2023.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 5, 2023. At the invitation of President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, Li will attend the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from September 5 to 8, and pay an official visit to Indonesia. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)