China: ‘Good neighborly friendship’ with ASEAN states has become stronger

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday claimed that Beijing's  “good neighborly friendship” with ASEAN member-states has become stronger.

“We have been committed to mutual assistance and our good neighborly friendship has become stronger… We seek common ground while setting aside differences, properly handles disagreements through dialogues and consultations and consistently deepen practical cooperation in the traditional and non-traditional security views,” the Chinese official said at the ASEAN-China Summit.

Li added that they have “preserved peace and tranquility in East Asia in a world fraught with turbulence and change,” particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We confronted the COVID-19 challenge by coming to each other's aid in those difficult times and that is our reflection of our brotherly ties in face of adversity with concrete actions,” said the Chinese official.

Li also said that China and ASEAN countries “enjoy proximity and close affinity” and both have adhered to the principles of co-existence and the purpose of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

Established in 1976, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia provides for the universal principles of peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation among States in Southeast Asia.

TAC is a legally-binding code for inter-state relations in the region and beyond.

The Chinese official also noted the commitment of the ASEAN and China to treating each other with sincerity, adding that the political mutual trust between the regional bloc and the Asia powerhouse has grown deeper.

“Sincerity is the key that opens the heart and trust is the bridge that opens the minds.  No matter how the international situation evolves, China and ASEAN [have] maintained close exchanges and communication, respected each other’s development paths and accommodated each other’s major concerns,” Li said.

“As long as we keep to the right path, no matter what storm may come, China-ASEAN cooperation will be as firm as ever and press ahead against all odds and we each will achieve greater development and progress in the course of such cooperation,” he added.

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The statement of the Chinese official comes amid the continued territorial dispute in the South China Sea and Beijing's new 10-dash line claim.  

The 2023 version of the map issued during Beijing’s annual National Surveying and Mapping Promotion Day places nearly the entire South China Sea within its national boundaries, infringing on Manila's claims in the resource-rich waters.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who also attended the ASEAN Summit, said last week that the Philippines would "respond" to China's extended claims in the South China Sea (SCS).

In the photos released by the ASEAN Secretariat, Marcos was seen talking with Li, but the Presidential Communications Office has yet to disclose information about the interaction.

The ASEAN Summit with China is the latest instance in which Marcos talked to a high-ranking official from China. This came a few weeks after the water cannon incident, which heightened tension between the Philippines and China, happened in the West Philippine Sea.

In August, Marcos said a note verbale was sent to Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian following the latest incident in Ayungin Shoal, where the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) used water cannons and performed alleged dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels.

The CCG said it had taken "necessary controls" against Philippines boats that had "illegally" entered its waters.

Several countries  — led by the United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada — expressed support for Manila and criticized China's actions, the latest in the string of several reported incidents of harassment against Philippine vessels this year. —VAL, GMA Integrated News