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BEIJING: Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang on Saturday called for greater solidarity and cooperation with regional countries in fighting the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, along with safeguarding peace and stability.
Li made the remarks in a speech at the 23rd meeting of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) plus China, Japan and South Korea (Asean Plus Three), which was carried out via a video link. . The leaders of 10 ASEAN countries, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also attended the meeting.
Li said that the Covid-19 pandemic had severely impacted the global economy and brought many challenges to regional economic integration in East Asia.
“In April of this year, we held a special meeting of leaders from Asean-China, Japan and the Republic of Korea on fighting the pandemic, and agreed to strengthen cooperation to meet the challenges of Covid-19, open markets to each other and stabilize the supply chain as well as the industrial chain, ”Li said.
For more than half a year, all parties have actively promoted the implementation of the results achieved at the meeting, have effectively advanced the prevention and control of regional epidemics, as well as economic recovery, indicating the important role of Asean. Plus Three as the main channel for East Asia. cooperation, he said.
Noting that Asean Plus Three achieved primary results in the prevention and control of the pandemic, with the resumption of work and production, as well as the orderly recovery of the industrial chain and the supply chain, the premier said that international agencies Relevant leaders predicted that East Asia may become the only region in the world to achieve positive economic growth this year.
“The resistance to development of the East Asian countries has increased our confidence to meet the challenges. I believe that as we further strengthen solidarity and cooperation, gather wisdom and strength, and turn crises into opportunities, we will definitely be able to overcome the impact of the pandemic, safeguard regional peace and stability, and create a new situation of regional peace and prosperity, ”Li said.
Li proposed that regional countries should enhance pandemic cooperation and promote public health capacity development, and said China is ready to actively carry out international cooperation on vaccines with all parties and promote the construction of a reserve center. Asean Plus Three emergency kit for medical supplies.
He called for accelerating the construction of free trade areas and deepening the regional integration of East Asia, noting that stakeholders will formally sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, which will play a positive role in driving the global economic recovery.
Prime Minister Li proposed to facilitate the regional supply chain and industrial chain, improve the competitiveness of the East Asian industrial system, and gradually build a regional network of fast lanes and green lanes under the premise of effective epidemic prevention.
Countries in the region should also seize the opportunity provided by the digital economy to build a plateau of innovation in East Asia, adhere to the principle of commodification and create a fair, just and predictable environment for business cooperation, he said.
To achieve sustainable development in East Asia, Li said that stakeholders should focus on cooperation in the livelihoods of society and people, and that China is willing to implement the second phase of the reduction cooperation initiative. poverty in East Asia, while strengthening cooperation. on climate change and disaster prevention.
Leaders who participated in the meeting said Asean Plus Three was established in the context of the Asian financial crisis and has made great strides in cooperation in various fields over the past 23 years. They hoped the meeting would build more consensus, improve the level of public health and safety, carry out joint prevention and control, and deepen cooperation in research and development of vaccines and drugs to ensure the accessibility and affordability of vaccines.
They also agreed to keep the market open, safeguard food security, achieve sustainable development, strengthen connectivity and the coupling of development strategies, make the most of the opportunities provided by the digital economy, and promote peace, stability, development and integration. regional prosperity.
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