On July 21, 2026, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Secretary-General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn in Manila.

Wang Yi noted that China always believes that all countries, big or small, are equal and always pursues a policy of good neighborliness and friendship. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). China was the first major country to accede to the TAC, which encouraged other major countries to follow suit and significantly enhanced ASEAN’s international standing. China will continue to support ASEAN Community building and ASEAN’s efforts in seeking strength through unity. This year also marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, a year of great significance that builds on past achievements and looks toward the future. Amid a world of change and instability, East Asia has on the whole maintained prosperity and stability, a hard-won situation that all parties should cherish. China is the most important stabilising anchor in the region and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN, deepen mutual trust, enhance mutual understanding, extend mutual support, safeguard the common interests of China and ASEAN, uphold the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South, and work for a more just and equitable international order. China has just successfully held the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai and initiated the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. This Organization is designed to enhance the AI capacity building of Global South countries, enabling them to keep pace with the development of the times and advance their own development and modernisation. China hopes that ASEAN will continue to actively participate in international AI cooperation and welcomes more ASEAN countries to join the Organization.

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. Certain elements within the Philippine military and police forces have made deliberate provocations and created maritime incidents, serving the interests of external forces and undermining the improvement of China-Philippines relations as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea. Regional countries must remain on high alert against this. China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to remove disruptions, accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), jointly create a new narrative of peace, stability, cooperation and friendship in the South China Sea, and keep the initiative over the South China Sea issue firmly in the hands of our regional countries.

Kao Kim Hourn spoke positively of ASEAN-China relations and the fruitful outcomes of practical cooperation between the two sides, and thanked China for its firm support for ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture. ASEAN and China are inseparable neighbors. China is ASEAN’s most important comprehensive strategic partner. The two sides have established 65 cooperation mechanisms. The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area has been upgraded, and bilateral trade exceeded one trillion U.S. dollars last year. Taking the fifth anniversary of the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as an opportunity, ASEAN looks forward to strengthening strategic synergy with China, deepening practical cooperation in trade, investment and the digital economy, and conducting more people-to-people exchanges, so as to achieve greater development in China-ASEAN relations. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). ASEAN supports the dual-track approach and is committed to accelerating consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, so as to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship. ASEAN is ready to work with China to jointly maintain regional peace and stability and make important contributions to the development and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific.

On the same day, Wang Yi also met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamad bin Haji Hasan.