Beijing Prime Minister Li’s official visit to Indonesia and his participation in the first trilateral summit between Malaysia’s Persian Gulf and Southeast Asian countries underscores China’s commitment to strengthening ties with the countries of the global southern region.
Li’s visit to Indonesia, scheduled for May 24th to 26th, is an invitation from President Prabowo Subianto. Following this, he will be attending the ASEAN-GCC-CHINA Summit held in Kuala Lumpur from May 26th to 28th, at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
During a press conference on Thursday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasized the importance of the upcoming summit.
“ASEAN and GCC members are key members of Asia’s emerging economies, Global South, and key partners in belt and road cooperation. China has supported ASEAN swivel chairs this year, proposes and hosts the ASEAN-GCC-China summit. Mutual benefits,” Maonin said.
She said, “China aims to expand practical cooperation with ASEAN and GCC members in various fields, leverage their respective strengths, pursue favorable outcomes for both sides, jointly support a multilateral trading regime and defend the common interests of the Global South.”
She also highlighted China’s expectations regarding the Prime Minister’s visit to Indonesia.
“China and Indonesia are friends and neighbors across the sea and partners with a shared future. This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Indonesia’s diplomatic relations. The bilateral relationship maintains stable growth with fruitful practical cooperation and traditional friendship between the two countries.”
She said, “Through this visit, China hopes that both sides will advance traditional friendships, deepen solidarity and coordination, and continue to integrate the paradigm of five pillars: the political, economic, people-to-people, maritime, security cooperation and cooperation, and we will jointly advance and contribute to cooperation in enriching the Chinese-Indonesian community, which has enriched each path. Prosperity.”
Last month, President Xi Jinping began a tour of Southeast Asia, visiting Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia as part of China’s initiative to strengthen relations with neighbouring countries. Prior to this journey, he attended a central conference in Beijing on April 8th and 9th, where he emphasized the importance of fostering communities with a common future among Chinese neighbours and the need to explore new paths for regional cooperation.
For now, the Chinese Prime Minister’s upcoming visit is poised to mark a new stage of China-Persian Gulf ties with ASEAN and the Persian Gulf countries, strengthening Beijing’s commitment to a more equitable world order. China has established itself as a leading advocate for inclusive multilateralism, seeking equal involvement in global governance, regardless of country’s power or height.
This principle shapes China’s approach to international cooperation. This is to promote balanced trade and climate policy for developing countries, from supporting the role of the United Nations in maintaining global regulations. Similarly, the Belt and Road initiative exemplifies this vision, expanding infrastructure and cultural exchanges and narrowing development gaps.