Chaos, conflict must not be allowed in Asia or the future is lost: New Chinese premier Li Qiang

Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia in Boao in southern China's Hainan Province, on March 30, 2023. - AP

BOAO, Hainan (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): New Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday (March 30) said that sustained peace remains a prerequisite for Asia’s prosperity, and urged leaders in the region not to take sides in conflicts as tensions continue to rise between China and the United States.

In his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, Li also called for countries in Asia to guard against the trend of decoupling, despite unprecedented uncertainty in the global environment.