ASEAN Reaffirms Central Role, Hopes to Maintain Balanced Interactions with Major Powers

At the ASEAN-China Summit held during the 47th ASEAN Summit and related meetings, ASEAN reaffirmed its central role in maintaining balanced interactions with the world's major powers.

Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar pointed out that ASEAN's consistently held central position is reflected in its constructive relationships between the United States and China, while also continuing to strengthen close ties with diverse international partners.

He said today (28th) in his opening remarks at the ASEAN-China Summit: "The day before yesterday, we met with U.S. President Trump; today, we are meeting with China. This exactly demonstrates ASEAN's central role. I commend and congratulate my ASEAN colleagues for showing wisdom and successfully maintaining our central role while fostering friendly relations with other countries."

"This is what we call stable engagement, which fosters mutual trust and enables us to work together to tackle various challenges."

Chinese Premier Li Qiang co-chaired this meeting.

Anwar also welcomed Li Qiang's attendance, pointing out that this reflects China’s firm and enduring commitment to strengthening relations with ASEAN.

"Premier Li, earlier this year you attended the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit and today you are here again; we are deeply honored. This fully demonstrates China’s firm commitment to deepening cooperation with ASEAN."