Chinese Premier Li Qiang calls for regional unity at East Asia Summit
- ‘We all have had the immediate experience of how unity leads to prosperity while division brings decline,’ he tells summit attendees
- Remarks contrast with Li’s warning against “a new cold war” during a meeting a day earlier with officials from Asean members, Japan and South Korea
Chinese Premier Li Qiang stressed the importance of unity as he wrapped up a series of meetings with East Asian leaders in Jakarta on Thursday.
“[The region] has learned the challenges of development, the importance of opening up, and the preciousness of peace. We all have had the immediate experience of how unity leads to prosperity while division brings decline,” Li said at the East Asia Summit.
In the face of “new development and challenges”, the region should “make good use of strategic dialogue and increase mutual trust with each other”, he was quoted by the official Xinhua news agency as saying.
Without naming them, Li also called on countries outside the region to “fully respect” the negotiation of the South China Sea code of conduct between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
The summit gathered leaders of important players in the Indo-Pacific, including Asean member states, Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.
Calling for closer regional cooperation, Li urged the Southeast Asian grouping’s leadership to “take care of all parties’ demands and respect each other’s interest”.
