China promises to work with Asean for peace and stability in South China Sea

Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang and his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi met in Jakarta on Feb 22, 2023. - INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY

JAKARTA (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Wednesday (Feb 22) vowed that China will work with South-East Asia to “to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea”, amid rising tensions in the disputed waters.

China and four Asean states – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – as well as Taiwan have overlapping claims over the strategic waterway, an issue which has remained unresolved for decades.