China regards ASEAN as priority direction in peripheral diplomacy: spokeswoman

China

China regards ASEAN as priority direction in peripheral diplomacy: spokeswoman

2025-07-11 16:47 Last Updated At：21:27

China regards the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a priority direction in its peripheral diplomacy and will work to inject new impetus into and provide new opportunities for common development of the East Asia region through its own stable development, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday.

Mao Ning, the spokeswoman, made the statement at a regular press conference in Beijing in response to a media query about Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's latest attendance at a series of ministerial meetings focusing on Asia's regional cooperation and modernization in Kuala Lumpur from July 10 to 11.

"Yesterday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Today, Foreign Minister Wang Yi also attended the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting. The foreign minister pointed out that China and the ASEAN have similar development concepts, common demands and integrated interests. Through the joint efforts of both sides, the bond of the community of shared destiny in the surrounding areas has become tighter, the pace of regional open cooperation has become more resolute, security cooperation has become more in-depth, and personnel exchanges have become more convenient," Mao said.

"China regards the ASEAN as a priority direction of its peripheral diplomacy and supports its central position in the regional architecture. China is willing to take the lead in signing the protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, promote consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, build a good Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership with high quality, in order that China and the ASEAN will support each and make each other successful in the process of Asia's modernization," said the spokeswoman.

"The foreign minister stressed that the overall situation of East Asian cooperation is good at present. Focusing on development and striving for cooperation is a general trend and mainstream, but it is also facing the impact of unilateralism and protectionism. The more complex the situation is, the more we must eliminate interference, drive forward cooperation, enhance development resilience, continue to advance the process of regional integration, and build an East Asia with integrated development, strong resilience, innovative vitality, and cultural interaction. China will continue to adhere to the concept of fostering an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood, the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and the vision of a shared future, and inject new impetus into and provide new opportunities for regional common development with its own stable development, in jointly working to create a better future for East Asia," she said.

EU, Finnish officials express concerns over US remarks on Greenland

Officials from the European Union (EU) and Finland have voiced concerns after the White House said it has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including the use of the military.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press briefing in Cairo on Thursday that the message from the U.S. is "extremely concerning," and "not really helping the stability of the world."

Kallas called on all parties to stick to international law, adding that relevant response measures has been discussed among EU members.

"The international law is very clear, and we have to stick to it. It is clear that it is the only thing that protects smaller countries, and that is why it is in the interest of all of us. And we discussed this today, as well, that we uphold the international law on all levels," she said.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday described recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration on Greenland as "worrying," while reiterating Finland's support for Denmark and Greenland's right to self-determination.

"Finland and the other Nordic countries have exceptional expertise in Arctic conditions, and we are happy to make use of that together with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to strengthen Arctic security, but it cannot be done by threatening allies," she said at a press conference at Finnish parliament after an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.

Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was "unprecedented" for threats of violence to be made within NATO against another member in connection with seizing territory, adding that such threats run counter to the United Nations Charter and that their inconsistency with international law should be underscored at all levels.