KUALA LUMPUR: China will work closely with Asean to safeguard regional stability and keep sea lanes secure in the current climate of turmoil in the Middle East and growing uncertainty in the global economy.
Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing said Beijing views Asean as an important partner at a time when external conflicts and rising protectionism are weighing on the world economy.
“China and Asean are good neighbours, good friends and good partners. Celebrating together in times of joy and helping one another in times of difficulty is our tradition,” he said yesterday.
He noted that regional solidarity helped Asia weather the Asian financial crisis, the global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of China-Asean dialogue relations, and the fifth year of their comprehensive strategic partnership.
Ouyang said China will continue to support Asean unity and “strategic autonomy”, uphold Asean centrality in regional cooperation, and work with member states to push back against unilateralism and protectionism in order to build “a closer China-Asean community with a shared future”.
On the economic front, he said China was ready to use the upcoming China-Asean Action Plan on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030) to better align development plans, fully implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and push for an early entry into force of the upgraded China-Asean Free Trade Area (FTA) 3.0.
He also called for deeper cooperation in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and the digital economy, as well as in energy through Asean’s Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026-2030 and the Asean Power Grid.
On the conflict in the Middle East, Ouyang said China had consistently pushed for dialogue, citing President Xi Jinping’s four-point proposal on maintaining peace and stability in the region.
He noted that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had repeatedly called for disputes to be settled through negotiations and for all parties to keep communication channels open, saying Malaysia’s stance had played “a positive role” in efforts to end the conflict.
Ouyang also highlighted the South China Sea’s role as a long-standing area of “peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity”, saying it now carries about 40% of global trade and serves as a key engine of growth.
He said peace and stability in the South China Sea were China’s “foremost strategic interest” and a shared goal of Asean countries, and stressed that regional states were “fully capable” of managing and resolving related issues.
He said China and Malaysia had maintained close communication on maritime issues, including through a bilateral dialogue on managing South China Sea matters, and had worked together to advance negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, which have now entered a “critical stage”.
Quoting the Malay proverb “Jiran sepakat membawa berkat”, Ouyang said China appreciated Malaysia’s constructive role as co-chair of the mechanism to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
“China will continue to work with all parties, including Malaysia, to eliminate interference, seek common ground while managing differences, and advance COC negotiations to provide a solid guarantee for lasting peace and stability in the South China Sea,” he said.
