Chinese Premier Li Qiang urges Asean, Japan, South Korea to back Hong Kong’s RCEP trade deal bid

Li Qiang also calls on neighbours and Asean to oppose ‘new cold war’ and manage differences with Beijing
China still on track to hit annual economic growth target of around 5 per cent, he reassures regional leaders at Asean Plus Three meeting

China-Asean relations

Orange WangandHayley Wong

Published: 7:05pm, 6 Sep 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called on Japan, South Korea and Asean to support Hong Kong’s bid to join the world’s largest free-trade pact.

Speaking in Jakarta on Wednesday, Li said Asean, China, Japan and South Korea should promote regional economic integration together.

“I hope all parties will support Hong Kong to become one of the new members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership,” Li said, citing Beijing’s drive to expand trade and mobility within the Asia-Pacific.

The 15-member RCEP deal currently consists of the 10 Asean nations plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand – all major trading partners of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong formally requested to join in January last year, when the free-trade pact took effect for the inaugural 10 economies.

In the face of heightened tensions with neighbours, the Chinese leader also urged Tokyo, Seoul and Asean to “oppose a new cold war” and manage their differences with Beijing.

Li said disagreements and disputes between nations sometimes stemmed from misconceptions or perceived conflicts of interest, while at other times they stemmed from “some undue external interference” – in possibly a veiled dig at the United States.

His comments came during a meeting between leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states as well as China, Japan and South Korea.

“The key is for all of us to face up to problems, eliminate misunderstandings and manage our differences,” Li told the Asean Plus Three summit.

“It’s very important at present to oppose taking sides, bloc confrontations and a new cold war,” he said.

Some politicians and pundits have characterised the escalating competition between Washington and Beijing as another cold war, but opinion is divided among observers on whether this is an accurate framing for the bilateral relationship.

Many countries, including those in Asia, have found themselves caught in the middle as rivalry intensifies between the two powers.

01:26

India lodges formal protest with China over new map that lays claim to disputed territory

China and Japan, South Korea and Asean countries shared a common home, Li said.

“If there is peace and prosperity, we all benefit, while if there are upheavals and chaos, we all suffer.”

Li, China’s No 2 official, said the country was on track to achieve its annual economic growth target of around 5 per cent for 2023, noting that would create more opportunities for other economies in the region and the world.

China sparked outrage last week among its Asean neighbours, including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, by issuing a new map asserting its claims over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The “standard map” posted on the website of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources showed a U-shaped “10-dash line” aligning with China’s long-held claims over the South China Sea, a vital maritime corridor that enables trillions of dollars in global trade annually.

Beijing’s ties with Tokyo and Seoul are at a low ebb as China grows increasingly frustrated with its neighbours’ tilt towards the US.

Will belt and road, Asean trade be China’s silver lining amid US de-risking?

In a separate meeting between China and Asean on Wednesday, Li said Beijing and the 10-member bloc had built “firmer” political mutual trust over the past decade, deepened their cooperation in security and taken “more practical” actions to maintain regional stability.

“As long as we continue to adhere to the right path, no matter what storms we go through in the future, the cooperation between China and Asean will be unbreakable, stable and far-reaching,” he said.

He said China was moving faster than expected to meet its goal of importing US$150 billion worth of agricultural products from Asean countries in the five-year period ending in 2026, with more than US$55 billion bought so far.

China’s exports to Asean – its largest trading partner – declined 2 per cent from a year ago in the first seven months of the year in dollar terms while imports dropped by 6.3 per cent, according to Chinese customs data.