VIENTIANE – China stands ready to work with all parties to uphold openness and inclusiveness, firmly advance regional economic integration and move toward the goal of establishing an East Asian community, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Saturday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when attending the meeting of foreign ministers of the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) (10+3).

Under the new circumstances, East Asia faces both challenges and opportunities, he said.

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As one of the most mature mechanisms for regional cooperation in East Asia, 10+3 has been deeply engaged in practical cooperation in various fields over the past 20 years and has led regional countries in tackling challenges such as the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, said the top Chinese diplomat.

After a lapse of four years, the China-Japan-ROK leaders' meeting was successfully held two months ago and reached an important consensus on promoting East Asia cooperation, injecting new impetus into the 10+3 cooperation, he said.

In the face of global and regional challenges, regional countries have a stronger call for stable development and a more urgent need to address risks and challenges, he said.

China is ready to work with all parties to continue to support ASEAN centrality in regional architecture, give full play to the 10+3 mechanism, deepen cooperation in areas of traditional strength and expand cooperation in emerging areas, added Wang.

China has put forward a four-point proposal for East Asia cooperation in the next stage, with deepening economic integration and promoting regional connectivity as the first proposal.

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China supports greater regional supply chain connectivity and will hold a 10+3 industrial and supply chain connectivity conference this year. China will give full play to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, promote its high-quality implementation, accelerate the resumption of negotiations on the China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Area, and continuously upgrade the level of East Asia economic integration.

Talking on strengthening crisis response capacity and maintaining regional stability, he said China welcomes the establishment of a rapid financing facility under the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization, and looks forward to working with other parties to improve the regional financial safety net to better cope with international economic and financial turbulence.

China has fulfilled its contribution to the 10+3 Emergency Rice Reserve Mechanism this year and is ready to explore mechanism innovation to enhance regional food security.

Regarding the third proposal, which is expanding cooperation in emerging areas and leading regional development, he said China is ready to expand cooperation with all parties on digitalization and green transformation, and implement the statement on developing an electric vehicle ecosystem.

China will host the 10+3 Clean Energy Roundtable Dialogue and other activities to promote the development of a low-carbon economy and is ready to further leverage the role of the 10+3 small and medium enterprises service alliance.

Beijing has also proposed promoting social and cultural exchanges to build regional consensus.

China supports further leveraging the 10+3 civil service cooperation mechanism, continues to support more students from ASEAN countries to join the CAMPUS Asia Program, will hold forums on immigration management and addressing aging, and promote exchanges and cooperation in such areas as health, journalism, culture, tourism, youth, women, and think tanks, so as to consolidate the social foundation for East Asia cooperation.

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During the meeting, foreign ministers of ASEAN countries expressed high appreciation for the unique role and positive outcomes of the 10+3 mechanism, and agreed to implement the RCEP in a high-quality manner to maintain economic and financial stability and unblocked supply chains.

They expressed their hope that the 10+3 mechanism will continue to provide strong support for strengthening regional resilience, ensuring food security, promoting connectivity and achieving green development.

The parties also put forward suggestions on strengthening cooperation on smart agriculture, digital transformation and crisis response.