US President Joe Biden (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Week in California on November 15, 2023. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Intheir statement, they said they were encouraged by the continuedcommitment of the US and Chinese leaders, who met in California on November 15,2023, to maintain open lines of communication and manage the two countries’relationship responsibly by building on the November 2022 meeting in Bali.
BothChina and the US are comprehensive strategic partners of ASEAN. The ASEANforeign ministers welcomed the two countries’ commitments to the keyprinciples, shared values, and norms enshrined in the Charter of the UnitedNations, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), theDeclaration of the East Asia Summit (EAS) on the Principles for Mutually BeneficialRelations (Bali Principles), and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
They affirmed the sharing of the common interest to reinforcean open, transparent, resilient, and inclusive regional architecture anchoredin international law, with ASEAN at the centre as guided by the purposes andprinciples of ASEAN and ASEAN-led mechanisms, and to build trust and confidenceamong all countries in the region.
Thestatement said ASEAN encourages China and the US, as long-standing partners ofASEAN, to continuing supporting the ASEAN Community building process and peace,stability, and prosperity of the Southeast Asian region, based on mutualinterests and mutual benefits.
ASEANstands ready to work together with China and the US in maintaining andpromoting the region as an epicentrum of growth by building resilience againstemerging challenges and future shocks through engagement and cooperation, andsafeguarding peace, security and development in the region and the world atlarge, according to the statement./.
VNA
