SINCE the establishment of Asean-China Dialogue Partnership in 1991, mutually-beneficial cooperation with China has expanded significantly across all three Asean community pillars: political-security, economic, and sociocultural.
This was the observation of Assistant Secretary Junever M. Mahilum-West, director-general of Asean-Philippines and the Philippine temporary Senior Officials Meeting leader, as the 26th Asean-China Senior Officials’ Consultation (ACSOC) unfolded on July 1—the first time via videoconference—to review the progress in Asean-China Strategic Partnership and discuss its future direction.
The Philippines, in its capacity as country coordinator for Asean-China Dialogue Relations for 2018-2021, cochaired the said meeting with China. Mahilum-West represented the country’s delegation, while it was Assistant Foreign Minister Chen Xiao-dong who led that of the People’s Republic of China.
The senior officials exchanged views on developments in the region, including the collective aspiration to agree to an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea that will contribute to regional peace, security as well as stability, and is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS. The two parties also discussed maritime-cooperation initiatives to further build trust and confidence in the region.
The consultation meeting also expressed commitment to continue and enhance health cooperation to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) through information exchanges, sharing of best practices, capacity building of health personnel, as well as vaccine research and production.
“As we approach the 30th anniversary of our relations in 2021, we look forward to more comprehensive mechanisms to advance Asean-China cooperation in various priority areas. We hope to maximize our engagements toward positive outcomes in our region,” Mahilum-West said. “This important partnership has proven instrumental in collectively responding to, and mitigating the effects of Covid-19.”
The meeting also highlighted 2020 as the Asean-China Year of Digital Economy Cooperation, with emphasis on initiatives to enhance digital connectivity, smart solutions, e-commerce, e-learning and platforms to help support micro-, small- and medium-scale enterprises which will continue to boost economic growth, as well as the application of information and communications technology-enabled responses to Covid-19. DFA
Image credits: DFA