20TH CHINA-ASEAN (10+1)LEADERS’ MEETING HELD

CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG chaired the 20th China-ASEAN (10+1) leaders’meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippine capital Manila on Nov. 13.

Li said at the meeting that it is a consensus of ASEAN nations that the China-ASEAN relationship is the most vibrant with the richest contents among the relationships ASEAN has with its partners. China has, as always, given priority to its relations with ASEAN in neighborhood diplomacy and is committed to being ASEAN’s good friend and good neighbor who can work together to tide over difficult times and strive for a community of shared future with common ideals, prosperity and responsibility.

Li proposed the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 to deepen China-ASEAN cooperation in such areas as trade, finance,infrastructure, rules and regulations and personnel.He also proposed the formulation of a vision for strategic partnership between China and ASEAN toward the year 2030.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (fifth left) with ASEAN leaders at the 20th China-ASEAN Summit in Manila on Nov. 13.

He urged all ASEAN nations to ratify the upgraded China-ASEAN free trade area (FTA)agreement as soon as possible so as to bring benefits to both sides at an early date.

Advances should be made in Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP) negotiations,implementation of key international industrial capacity cooperation projects and financial cooperation between China and ASEAN, he added.

On people-to-people exchanges, Li said China will provide government scholarships to more than 20,000 ASEAN students over the course of the next three years. China will offer training courses to 3,000 candidates from ASEAN in 2018 and boost cooperation in capacity building in areas such as finance,agriculture, science and technology, culture,public administration and transportation.

Li said that China has also proposed the leaders’meeting to announce the start of consultations on the text of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.