The Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on October 21 made an official announcement on the results of the ASEAN Secretary General’s visit to China on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of ASEAN-China strategic partnership.

The announcement says ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh visited China from October 16-19 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

He met with State Councilor Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Trade Minister Gao Hucheng, discussing how to maintain peace, security and stability for prosperity in the region, and boost mutually-beneficial cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, maritime, disaster management, public health, cultural exchange and relations between ASEAN and Chinese people.

ASEAN Secretary General Minh affirmed that China is an important strategic partner of ASEAN and delivered the grouping’s strong desire to seek new, sustainable means and ways on the grounds of the previous achievements to build, strengthen and deepen the relations between ASEAN and China as well as supplement necessary contents to the two sides’ strategic partnership.

He stressed that ASEAN and China need to double their efforts to implement and fulfill the goals agreed by their leaders at the 16th ASEAN-China Summit held on October 9 in Brunei Darussalam.

The announcement also says that the Chinese leaders showed their strong commitments to continuing stepping up and expanding cooperation with ASEAN and fully supporting ASEAN’s central role in regional mechanisms as well as completely and efficiently implementing the 2011-2015 ASEAN-China Action Plan.

The Chinese leaders renewed commitments to reinforcing ASEAN-China connectivity materially, institutionally and in the people-to-people relations.

In addition to that, China will work with ASEAN in raising the two sides’ trade through upgrading the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, increasing investment in ASEAN member countries and broadening ASEAN-China economic ties.

The Chinese leaders reiterated that China will play a constructive role to contribute to peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region and called on both to work closely in turning their next decade of strategic partnership into a “diamond decade” for the sake of ASEAN and Chinese people.-VNA