Chinese premier calls for deepening regional cooperation at East Asia meetings

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday voiced support for East Asia's development and integration and advocated for better openness and global governance, as leaders gathered in the Malaysian capital on East Asian cooperation.

Li encouraged various parties to uphold openness and cooperation, safeguard free trade and multilateralism.

Addressing the fifth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leaders' Meeting, he pointed out that the current international economic and trade landscape is undergoing complex changes, with unilateralism and protectionism on the rise, posing significant risks to the region.

He called on all parties to collaborate more closely to jointly address challenges and work collectively to advance development.

China will continue to support ASEAN centrality and, together with all parties, safeguard the stability of the regional multilateral trading system, he said.

"The RCEP has proven strong results in boosting intra-regional trade and foreign direct investment, even in a climate of global trade fragmentation," Yuneswaran Ramaraj, a member of Malaysian Parliament and also a member of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, told Xinhua.

He also highlighted the successful conclusion of negotiations on the upgraded ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, which is set to integrate the digital economy, green transition, supply chain connectivity and production networks.

Congratulating Timor-Leste on officially joining the ASEAN family, Li said at the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit that openness and cooperation are valuable experiences explored and accumulated through practice, and should be cherished and carried forward at all times, so that they remain a marked advantage and a key to success for East Asia's economy.

He urged continued commitment to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, upholding free trade and the multilateral trading system, opposing all forms of protectionism, and steadily advancing regional economic integration.

ASEAN's cooperation with China, particularly in the digital and green sectors, is mutually beneficial, as ASEAN needs China's advanced technologies in these areas and China can gain access to ASEAN's markets and commodities, Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research in Malaysia, told Xinhua.

In his speech at the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, Li urged joint efforts to foster and strengthen new growth drivers and called for deepening collaboration in the industrial and supply chains.

He also urged relevant parties to leverage their respective strengths, further promote connectivity and cooperation, and raise the level of division of labor and collaboration to improve the efficiency of factor flows.

"Countries that are well-connected with the Chinese economy will benefit from its growth and, importantly, its global trade and investment expansion. Being in proximity, ASEAN will be a key beneficiary of trade and investment flows from and to China," said Yeah Kim Leng, professor of economics at Sunway University.

The Chinese premier also called for promoting global governance and safeguarding regional peace and a just order.

"Mutual respect, equality, and fairness and justice, among others, are important foundations governing relations among nations," Li told the 20th East Asia Summit. "The world should not return to the law of the jungle where the weak fall prey to the strong."

China stands ready to join various parties in actively advancing the Global Governance Initiative and make joint efforts to inject more positive energy into regional peace and development, he said.

"The more turbulent the situation becomes, the greater the need to safeguard the authority of international rule of law," he added.

Li urged all parties to abide by the rules, especially to safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core, and support ASEAN's centrality in the regional architecture, acting as a promoter of regional cooperation.

Efforts should be made to actively promote reforms, facilitate the establishment of a more just and equitable global governance system to better safeguard the interests of all sides, he said.