Chinese FM on tour in SEA
▶ Enhanced relations, stronger cooperation focused on BRI to be expected
China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has embarked on a four-nation tour of Southeast Asia immediately after finishing his visits in Africa at the beginning of the New Year that marks the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations.
From Monday to Saturday, Wang will make official visits to Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines on invitations.
Top level bilateral meetings are important in affirming the continued strengthening of bilateral relations in all aspects, Glenn G. Penaranda, Special Trade Representative and Commercial Counselor at the Embassy of the Philippines in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday.
“China is our largest trading partner and major source of investment, the visit will be an opportunity to highlight this relationship and to promote even deeper cooperation,” Penaranda said.
China on Sunday published a white paper addressing the country’s international development cooperation, vowing to push forward the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), support developing countries to strengthen their own ability to develop their economies, while also working together to tackle international humanitarian challenges.
By reaffirming a commitment to promoting a global community with a shared future, the white paper also stresses that South-South cooperation is a key priority, with the Belt and Road cooperation acting as a major platform.
The Foreign Minister’s visit to the four Southeast Asian countries highlighted the necessity and significance for China to build on key relationships with other developing countries, strengthen BRI cooperation and expanding economic and trade relations in the face of the COVID-19 and global economic downturn, said Shen Minghui, secretary-general of the Center for APEC and East Asian Cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
BRI bucks the trend
Since the BRI was proposed, China has initiated projects focused on development cooperation and contributed to infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity based on the needs of individual countries.
“As a country along the Belt and Road, the Philippines has extensive cooperation with China in the BRI in recent years. At the same time, the ‘Build, Build, Build’ flagship infrastructure development program of the Philippines will create more opportunities for cooperation between the Philippines and China,” Penaranda noted, adding the two countries can work together to promote the construction of the Belt and Road in third countries in the future.
Even though COVID-19 has dealt a heavy blow to the world economy and has created challenges for the Belt and Road cooperation, cooperation under the BRI has bucked the trend to make
new progress.