Chinese premier arrives in Manila to attend China-ASEAN Summit

Aamir Latif

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Manila on Sunday to attend the 29th China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit at the invitation of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the bloc’s rotating chair, state media reported.

The meeting will take place alongside the three-day 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, which began on Sunday in the Philippine capital, the Beijing-based Xinhua News Agency reported.

Through the summit, China aims to work with ASEAN countries to strengthen solidarity and mutual trust, build consensus on cooperation, facilitate the early entry into force of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, upgrade protocols and deepen cooperation in AI, the digital economy, energy security, interconnectivity and poverty reduction, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said earlier this week.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun skipped a meeting of Southeast Asian defense chiefs and their dialogue partners in Manila last month.

Instead of its defense chief, Beijing sent its defense attache in the Philippines to the meeting.