China, ASEAN call for enhanced bilateral economic, trade cooperation

BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Leading commerce officials from China and ASEAN called for deepening bilateral economic and trade cooperation to address disruptions from uncertainties, according to a meeting held on Tuesday.

China is willing to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to maintain the stability and smooth operations of global industrial and supply chains, making greater contributions to the development of both sides, and safeguarding international fairness and justice, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said at a special online meeting of economic and trade ministers from China and ASEAN on Tuesday.

Recently, some country indiscriminately imposed the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" and praticed economic bullying, which seriously undermined global trade system and brought high uncertainties to the world economy, said Wang, adding that such practices did not conform to economic rules and have violated market principles.

At the meeting, economic and trade ministers from ASEAN countries called for collective action to safeguard the multilateral trading system and free trade, as well as making good use of the World Trade Organization mechanism to carry out constructive contacts, seek cooperative solutions, and address global trade concerns.

Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of ASEAN, said that all parties must cooperate with a forward-looking perspective, firmly support openness and inclusiveness, and continuously promote regional economic integration.

He said he believes that ASEAN and China can deepen their partnership, achieve high-quality common development, promote cooperation in areas such as intelligent manufacturing, and enhance connectivity and green transformation.

After the meeting, a joint statement was released to reiterate the stance of China and ASEAN regarding economic exchanges and international economic challenges.

China and the ten ASEAN countries have fully completed negotiations on the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday. ■