Chinanews.com, Beijing, November 3 (Reporter Liang Xiaohui) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on the 3rd that the new crown pneumonia epidemic has not prevented China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation, and the relationship between the two sides has become closer and deepened in adversity.
A reporter asked questions. We noticed that since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, China-ASEAN exchanges and interactions have remained close. The "China-ASEAN Relations Jakarta Forum" has just held its third event this year. At the end of this month, the 17th China-ASEAN The Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will be held in Nanning, Guangxi.
How do you see the prospects of China-ASEAN cooperation?
Wang Wenbin said that China and ASEAN countries are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers. The new crown pneumonia epidemic has not prevented China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation. The relationship between the two sides has become closer and deepened in adversity.
President Xi Jinping spoke with leaders of many ASEAN countries, and the two sides held a special China-ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting on the new crown pneumonia issue to jointly lead regional anti-epidemic cooperation.
China and many ASEAN countries have established "fast channels" for personnel exchanges and "green channels" for material circulation, accelerated the resumption of work and production, and steadily promoted the construction of the "Belt and Road" with high quality, injecting strength into stabilizing the regional industrial chain supply chain and promoting regional economic recovery power.
He pointed out that since the beginning of this year, the economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN has risen against the trend. In the first three quarters, the bilateral trade volume reached 481.8 billion US dollars, accounting for one-seventh of China's total foreign trade.
China's direct investment in ASEAN countries reached 10.7 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 76.6% year-on-year, fully demonstrating the strong resilience and huge potential of bilateral cooperation.
The upcoming China International Import Expo, China-ASEAN Expo, and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will provide new opportunities for deepening China-ASEAN cooperation.
Wang Wenbin said that China will work with ASEAN countries to actively promote exchanges and cooperation in the post-epidemic period, and take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN next year as an opportunity to promote the quality and upgrade of bilateral relations to a new level.
"We will also continue to firmly support ASEAN's central position in regional cooperation and inject new impetus into promoting stability and prosperity in East Asia." (End)