On the afternoon of June 11, 2025 local time, Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong gave an interview to the media after attending a series of senior officials' meetings on East Asia cooperation in Penang, Malaysia.

Question 1: What consensus and progress were achieved at this series of senior officials' meetings on East Asia cooperation? What are the key focuses of East Asia cooperation this year?

Answer: This year, East Asia cooperation centers around the theme of "Inclusivity and Sustainability", reflecting the shared aspiration of regional countries to unite in cooperation, uphold openness and inclusiveness, jointly address challenges, and pursue common development.

This series of senior officials' meetings on East Asia cooperation, aiming to prepare the ground for this year's leaders' meetings and foreign ministers' meetings on East Asia cooperation, featured in-depth exchanges on deepening practical cooperation in various fields, promoting regional economic integration, and advancing the development of East Asia cooperation mechanisms. The meetings emphasized the need to maintain ASEAN Plus Three (APT) as the main channel of East Asia cooperation and the characterization of the East Asia Summit as a "leaders-led strategic forum", revitalize the development momentum of the ASEAN Regional Forum and contribute to achieving lasting regional peace and stable development.

Question 2: Did this series of senior officials' meetings on East Asia cooperation discuss the international and regional situations as well as hotspot and sensitive issues? What position did the Chinese side express?

Answer: China has emphasized at the senior officials' meetings that all parties should pursue openness, cooperation, justice, and win-win outcomes, not isolation, confrontation, hegemony and zero-sum mentality. This is the common choice of regional countries.

China is ready to work with all parties to uphold the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, safeguard the basic norms of international relations and international fairness and justice, adhere to true multilateralism and open regionalism, safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and support the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture. China advocates the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness, and calls on all parties to unite in facing challenges and jointly build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable common home.

Participants had an exchange of views on international and regional issues as well as cooperation in emerging fields during the meetings. The Chinese side elaborated on its principled position on relevant issues, sternly refuted and firmly countered the United States' attacks, smears and unwarranted accusations against China.

On the Taiwan question, the Chinese side pointed out that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is a widely recognized consensus within the international community. The historical trend toward China's complete reunification is unstoppable and inevitable.

On the South China Sea issue, the Chinese side noted that China and ASEAN countries remain committed to following the dual-track approach, namely, properly handling and resolving maritime disputes by countries directly concerned through dialogue and consultation, and jointly safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea. China and ASEAN countries have completed the third reading of the consultations of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and are working toward an early adoption of the COC. This fully demonstrates that China and ASEAN countries have the wisdom and capability to properly manage the South China Sea issue.

The Chinese side pointed out that certain extraterritorial countries, driven by unilateral hegemony and self-interest, have been stoking and intensifying maritime differences and disputes, provoking bloc confrontations in the region, forming exclusive groupings, continuously increasing military deployments, and even introducing medium-range missiles and other strategic weapons. These actions are the biggest sources of disruption to regional peace and stability. China firmly opposes the introduction of Cold War mentality, geopolitical conflicts, and bloc confrontations into the region.

China emphasized the need for all parties to revert to the original aspirations of constructive dialogue and cooperation, uphold a model of security for Asia that features sharing weal and woe, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and prioritizing dialogue and consultation. This will help advance East Asia cooperation in a deeper and more substantive manner, injecting greater stability, certainty, and positive energy into the world.