Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks at the 25th ASEAN-China Summit in Phnom Penh on November 11. Hong Menea
Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed five points to strengthen ASEAN-China relations, with China pledging $1.5 billion for development projects over the course of three years.
The pledge was made during the 25th ASEAN-China Summit in Phnom Penh, co-hosted by ASEAN – led by ASEAN chair Prime Minister Hun Sen – and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
According to a social media post by the prime minister, the first thing Xi requested was to build a “home of common peace”, with China ready to deepen cooperation on national defense, fighting transnational crimes, and signing the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) document.
The second proposal was the “home of common security” which show China’s pledge to support ASEAN’s health protection and cooperation on disaster management, while his third proposal was the “home of common prosperity”, with China set to provide $1.5 billion in development aid to ASEAN in the next three years, especially to grow The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
As for the fourth proposal, Xi proposed to have a “home of common beauty”, focusing on more cooperation on the development of green development and a blue economy. His last proposal was for a “home of common friendship”, through which the tourism sector is grown, and people-to-people exchanges are made.
Hun Sen said that Communist Party-led China in the last seven decade had lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese out of poverty, and made China into the world’s second largest economy. Both of these achievements were based on political stability and internal peace, he noted.
China’s inclusive development had also promoted regional and global prosperity. China had applied win-win cooperation and mutual respect to ASEAN-China cooperation, which resulted in fruitful growth in the last three decades, he added.
“I am optimistic about ASEAN-China cooperation, which is opening a new chapter in strengthening our cooperation to unleash vital potential, at a time when ASEAN is making its association stronger,” he said.
