The South China Sea issue should not become an obstacle to China-ASEAN relations, and countries in the region have the wisdom and capability to handle the matter properly, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday, citing the relevant remarks made by Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Speaking at a press briefing in Beijing, Lin Jian, the spokesman, provided an update on Foreign Minister Wang Yi's attendance at a broader China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in the Philippines.
"On July 22, Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended in Manila the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting alongside the foreign ministers of ASEAN nations and the Secretary-General of ASEAN. He introduced the cooperation achievements of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership over the past five years. He noted that under the joint strategic guidance of the leaders of both sides, China-ASEAN cooperation yielded fruitful results, benefiting over two billion people. The building of a community with a shared future with neighboring countries has steadily gained traction, as China has reached important common understandings with eight ASEAN member states on forming a community with a shared future bilaterally," Lin said.
"Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that the South China Sea is the common home of regional countries, and the South China Sea issue should not become an obstacle in China-ASEAN relations. China and ASEAN nations have the wisdom and capability to continue properly handling this issue to turn peace, stability, cooperation and friendship into the main narrative in the South China Sea, and keep the initiative over upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea firmly in the hands of our regional countries. China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to remove disruptions and accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea," he said.
South China Sea question should not become obstacle in China-ASEAN ties: spokesman
Zhao Leji, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, held talks with Tomio Okamura, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, in Beijing on Thursday.
Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-Czech strategic partnership, Zhao, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China stands ready to work with the Czech side to carry forward traditional friendship, enhance mutual understanding and trust, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and promote the sound and steady growth of bilateral relations.
Zhao called on both sides to consolidate the political foundation of their ties, sustain the momentum of improvement in bilateral relations, and resume and step up exchanges and interactions at all levels and across all fields.
Both sides should further tap cooperation potential, give full play to the role of mechanisms such as the economic joint committee between China and Czech and the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Expo, explore ways to strengthen cooperation in new energy, electric vehicles and other fields, and support enterprises of the two countries in expanding investment cooperation, Zhao added.
The NPC is ready to enhance friendly exchanges with the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, carry out mutual learning and exchanges on legislative supervision, economic development, improvement of people's livelihood, formulate, revise and ratify legal documents conducive to bilateral cooperation, and maintain close communication and collaboration within multilateral mechanisms such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Zhao said.
Zhao also said China is willing to work with all countries, including the Czech Republic, to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence and promote the establishment of a fair and equitable global governance system for AI.
Okamura said the Czech Republic adheres to the one-China policy, adding that it hopes to strengthen tourism cooperation with China and welcome more Chinese tourists to visit the Czech Republic, expand cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, cultural relic exhibitions, and direct flights, and enhance people-to-people exchanges.
The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic stands ready to strengthen friendly exchanges with China's NPC and enhance the friendship between the two peoples, Okamura added.
China's top legislator holds talks with speaker of Czech Chamber of Deputies
