On July 12, 2025, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, talked about China-ASEAN cooperation with reporters during the annual series of foreign ministers' meetings for East Asian Cooperation in Kuala Lumpur.

Wang Yi said that this year's East Asia Cooperation Series Foreign Ministers' Meeting was very smooth, especially the atmosphere of the China-ASEAN 10+1 Foreign Ministers' Meeting was very friendly and harmonious. Against the current backdrop of unilateralism and protectionism, China and ASEAN countries have shown a strong desire to support each other, unite and cooperate, and face challenges together. The meeting achieved a series of positive results: First, the two sides confirmed that the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone 3.0 consultations were completed, and unanimously agreed to submit the leaders' meeting held in October this year for approval and signing, which clearly sent a clear signal that we should continue to promote regional economic integration and continue to build a high-level regional free trade network.

Secondly, the two sides reached an agreement on the action plan for the next five years of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, clarifying the goals and tasks of China and ASEAN's all-round cooperation in more than 40 fields in the next five years, and injecting strong impetus into pragmatic cooperation in various fields between the two sides in the next stage.

Third, the two sides welcomed the completion of the third reading of the consultation on the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" and agreed to strive to complete the consultations within 2026 to reach a "code of principles" of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which will provide more powerful guarantees for peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Wang Yi pointed out that in April this year, China held a central peripheral work conference, put forward the overall ideas and goals and tasks of China's surrounding work in the future, and emphasized the need to focus on the construction of a neighboring community with a shared future, build a common home with neighboring countries, and promote the common modernization of all countries. After the meeting, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, and promoted new progress and new levels of construction of a neighboring community with a shared future.

Wang Yi said that all ASEAN countries highly appreciate the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership and all agreed that China is the most important dialogue partner of ASEAN, and China-ASEAN cooperation is the most dynamic and fruitful example in the Asia-Pacific region. We are full of confidence in the future of China-ASEAN relations. (Reporter Xu Quanle of the General Station)