China pledges closer cooperation with ASEAN to boost regional, global stability: FM

China will continue working with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to uphold peace, development and cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday, stressing the two sides should strive to be anchors of regional and global stability and growth.

Speaking at the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Pasay City in the Metro Manila area, Wang said China and ASEAN should together draw on the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and China's four global initiatives to promote a more just and equitable form of global governance.

Wang said closer coordination between China and its ASEAN partners would help deliver shared benefits to the region.

Foreign ministers of ASEAN member states in attendance at the meeting said they will look to further advance their respective partnerships with China to pursue concrete and meaningful outcomes.

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

China pledges closer cooperation with ASEAN to boost regional, global stability: FM

A newly opened air route between China and Ireland is expected to strengthen cultural ties and business exchanges.

With 239 passengers on board, the debut flight linking Shanghai and Dublin took off from Pudong International Airport on Monday, marking the official launch of the direct service by China Eastern Airlines.

The new route adds to existing direct connections such as Dublin–Beijing flights operated by Hainan Airlines, paving the way for deeper academic, business and cultural exchanges.

At the airport, Chinese students, tourists and Irish business travelers welcomed the opening of the line.

"I studied in China, two years in Beijing, and now I've opened a business in Shanghai," said William, an Irish business owner in China.

Aviation expert Chad Huang has spent more than a decade working to make these direct flights possible and believes the introduction of the new route will bring a big all-round travel boost.

"Super convenient for business, tourism, all the commuter activity between Ireland and China," said Huang, who is also managing director of Jade Aviation.

New China-Ireland direct flights boost exchanges