ASEAN, Chinese senior officials hold 30th consultation

At the 30th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Consultation in Jakarta on May 10. (Source: asean.org)

At the event, China reaffirmed its support for the bloc’s community-building efforts, centrality, and even bigger role in regional affairs. China underscored that it continues to place high priority on its relations with ASEAN as part of its neighbourhood diplomacy.

The meeting discussed ways to further promote cooperation under the CSP, particularly in trade and investment, connectivity, digital ecosystem, blue economy, clean energy, agriculture and food security, culture, and tourism. ASEAN looked forward to enhancing practical cooperation in the key areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), in line with the Joint Statement on mutually beneficial cooperation on the AOIP adopted in 2023.

Participating senior officials exchanged views on regional and international developments of common interest and concern. Both sides noted the need to enhance cooperation to address regional challenges such as terrorism, human trafficking, illicit drug abuse and cybercrime.

Also under discussion were preparations for the upcoming ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting and ASEAN-China Summit. Both sides looked forward to the conclusion of negotiations of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 upgrade, as well as the effective implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), among others./.