East Asia Summit should grasp correct direction, safeguard int'l justice: Wang Yi

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, July 27, 2024. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

VIENTIANE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held here on Saturday, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attending and delivering a speech.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that the current international situation is witnessing changes and chaos, and hot spot issues are heating up and difficult to resolve.

The EAS should grasp the correct direction, enhance unity and cooperation, promote long-term regional peace and prosperity, and safeguard international justice, Wang said, noting that to this end, China has put forward four propositions:

Firstly, all parties should maintain an open and inclusive regional architecture. The ASEAN-led regional architecture is an important basis for maintaining regional peace and stability, and all parties should invest more cooperation resources in this "big family." However, some external countries have formed exclusive "small circles" in the region, creating division and confrontation, destabilizing the region, and seriously affecting ASEAN's centrality and strategic autonomy, which all parties should be highly vigilant about and effectively resist.

Secondly, all parties should abide by the regional rules recognized by themselves. All parties should jointly abide by the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and adhere to the spirit of the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and should not allow individual countries to put their unilateral and self-interested "rules" above the international and regional rules recognized by all parties.

Thirdly, all parties should work together to strengthen the new momentum of connectivity. All parties should continue to push forward the construction of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, and promote a stable and smooth flow of the industrial chain and supply chain. The "decoupling and breaking of chains" and "high walls in small yards" are detrimental to others, and will only lead to the "fragmentation" of the regional economy and seriously drag down regional growth. China supports Laos' initiative to issue a leaders' statement on the theme of "connectivity and resilience," focusing on the urgent need for regional development and cooperation.

Fourthly, all parties should jointly energize the effectiveness of the EAS. All parties should promote the balanced rotation of the two wheels of political security and economic development. China is willing to work with all parties to implement the summit's plan of action, promote the coastal economy, respond to climate change, and work together to solve security problems and bridge the development gap, guided by the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative.

Wang sternly refuted the so-called concerns expressed by individual countries about the stability of the Taiwan Strait, emphasizing that the Taiwan question is 100 percent an internal affair of China.

Any external forces have no right to intervene in it, and should effectively fulfill the basic principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries in international relations and abide by the one-China principle, which is the universal consensus of the international community, Wang noted.

Wang also stated China's solemn position on the South China Sea.

He reiterated China's principled position on the Palestinian issue and the Ukraine crisis.

On the same day, Wang also attended the meeting of foreign ministers of the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea and the foreign ministers' meeting of the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum, and met with foreign ministers of relevant countries.

The 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting is held in Vientiane, Laos, July 27, 2024. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)