47th ASEAN summit concludes in Malaysia

The 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits concluded in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the chair of ASEAN 2025, emphasized ASEAN centrality, saying that "we revived dialogues, built new bridges, and proved that ASEAN's machinery, when guided by patience and reason, still works."

Centrality, while not soaring above the skies, is still alive and well. Things are not falling apart and the center still holds, he said.

At the ceremony, Malaysia handed over the ASEAN chairmanship for 2026 to the Philippines.

The ASEAN Summit is generally held twice a year -- once in the first half and once in the second half of the year.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste.

47th ASEAN summit concludes in Malaysia

47th ASEAN summit concludes in Malaysia

47th ASEAN summit concludes in Malaysia

47th ASEAN summit concludes in Malaysia

At the invitation of the government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Jiang Xinzhi, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy and vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the inauguration ceremony of Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on Friday.

Min Aung Hlaing met with Jiang on the same day.

Noting that the pauk-phaw (fraternal) friendship between China and Myanmar has a long history, Jiang said the two countries have long enjoyed a harmonious relationship and mutual assistance, which fully demonstrates the profound significance of the China-Myanmar community with a shared future. China supports Myanmar in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions, Jiang said, adding that the country is willing to work with Myanmar to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, maintain stability along the China-Myanmar border, and ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and projects in Myanmar.

For his part, Min Aung Hlaing expressed gratitude for China's long-term and valuable assistance to Myanmar's economic and social development.

Myanmar firmly adheres to the one-China principle and supports the four global initiatives proposed by China, Min Aung Hlaing said.

The president pledged that Myanmar would make every effort to ensure China's security interests in the country, and expressed Myanmar's willingness to deepen practical cooperation with China across various fields.

Xi's special envoy attends inauguration of Myanmar's president