Premier's tour set to deepen E. Asian ties

Premier Li Qiang will kick off a four-day Southeast Asian tour starting from Saturday that is expected to map out the blueprint for regional cooperation and uphold genuine multilateralism.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Li will pay an official visit to Singapore and attend a series of leaders' meetings on East Asian cooperation in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

The meetings are the 28th China-ASEAN Summit, the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the 20th East Asia Summit and the fifth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders' Meeting.

In the face of complex changes in the international and regional landscape, sluggish global economic growth and rising unilateralism and protectionism, East Asian cooperation faces new challenges, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news briefing on Friday.

Against this backdrop, regional countries have a stronger desire for stability, cooperation, and development, which highlights the importance of East Asian cooperation, he said.

East Asia is one of the most dynamic and promising regions in the world, and the East Asian cooperation mechanisms, led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have played an important role in promoting dialogue and cooperation among various parties and maintaining regional stability, he said.

Guo noted that China has always prioritized ASEAN in its neighborhood diplomacy and supports the themes of inclusiveness and sustainability set by Malaysia, the rotating ASEAN chair.

China looks forward to working with regional countries to advance the building of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, ensure high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and inject more stability and certainty into the region and the world, Guo said.

The negotiations of the CAFTA 3.0, which began in November 2022, concluded substantially in October 2024 after nine rounds of formal talks.

In May, economic and trade ministers from China and the 10 ASEAN member states announced the full completion of the negotiations, aiming to formally sign the CAFTA 3.0 upgrade protocol by the end of this year.

Recent data shows that in the first three quarters of this year, imports and exports between China and ASEAN totaled 5.57 trillion yuan ($782 billion), up by 9.6 percent year-on-year. ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner.

In addition, China has rolled out the "ASEAN visa", fully exempted visas mutually with Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, and granted each other visafree entry with Brunei.

Speaking of China-Singapore relations, Guo said China looks forward to using Li's visit as an opportunity to further align development strategies with Singapore and deepen cooperation in various fields.

Singapore is China's fifth-largest trading partner among ASEAN countries, while China has remained Singapore's largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years since 2013.

In 2024, bilateral trade volume reached $111.11 billion, marking a year-on-year increase of 2.6 percent, according to the Foreign Ministry.