Chinese Premier Li Qiang to attend next week’s Asean summits in Indonesia, meet President Joko Widodo

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Foreign ministry says it expects the meetings will ‘inject more stability’ into the regional situation

Four-day trip will be Li’s first official visit to an Asean country as premier since he took office in march

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China’s Premier Li Qiang will attend the China-Asean Summit, the Asean Plus Three Summit, and the East Asia Summit from September 5 to 8 in Jakarta, according to a foreign ministry statement. Photo: AFP

Zhao Ziwen

Published: 7:02pm, 1 Sep 2023

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Indonesia next week to meet President Joko Widodo and attend a series of regional summits, China’s foreign ministry announced on Friday.

The four-day trip will be Li’s first official visit to a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) since he took office in March.

Wang Wenbin, a foreign ministry spokesperson, said China expects the summits to focus on “development and cooperation”, and “inject more stability and positive energy into the international and regional situation”.

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Is Indonesia’s China-made railway on track to launch? Jakarta says it’s ‘under control’

In addition to China and Asean member countries, the three summits will include representatives of nearly all major powers in the Asia-Pacific, including the United States, Russia, India, Japan and South Korea.

Wang added that China hopes that the summits will uphold an “open and inclusive Asean-centred regional cooperation framework”, and “adhere to real multilateralism” while opposing “small-circle” activities that “create divisions and undermine regional peace and stability”.

The summits come amid heightened tensions in the Asia-Pacific, especially in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

“The current international and regional situation is evolving in a complex manner … the countries of the region have a strong desire for peace and development,” Wang said.

“China expects to deepen development cooperation with Indonesia and the two countries will promote regional prosperity through modernisation,” he said.