KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said Asean’s back-to-back engagements with major global powers underscored the bloc’s central role in regional diplomacy and its ability to maintain balanced ties with all nations.
Speaking at the opening of the 28th Asean-China Summit here, Anwar said the meetings reflected Asean’s commitment to its principle of centrality as the bloc continues to engage constructively with partners from all sides.
“And if people are curious, the day before we were with President Donald Trump of the United States of America, and today we are back with China,” Anwar said.
“That reflects Asean’s centrality, and I commend and congratulate my colleagues in Asean for the wisdom to maintain centrality and friendly relations with all our countries,” he added.
Anwar also welcomed Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s presence at the summit, noting that his attendance reflected Beijing’s strong commitment to strengthening relations with Asean.
“Premier Li, you were with us earlier this year for the Asean-GCC-China Summit. We are honoured to have you again today. It is a reflection of China’s firm and unyielding commitment to deepening ties with Asean,” he said.
Today’s Asean-China Summit is part of a series of high-level meetings being held in conjunction with the 47th Asean Summit here.
In August, Chinese exports to Asean surged 22.5 per cent from a year earlier to US$57.1 billion (RM215 billion), making South-east Asia China’s top export destination by value.
