Wang Yi to Visit Philippines for ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit the Philippines to attend the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila on Wednesday (22 July). Wang will travel to Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan, from 23 to 25 July for the Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States and a visit to Kyrgyzstan, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said ASEAN is a friendly neighbour and an important cooperation partner and priority in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy. China supports ASEAN centrality in the regional cooperation architecture and hopes to see thriving East Asia cooperation that contributes more to regional and global stability, development, and prosperity, Lin told reporters in Beijing. He said China’s relations with the 11-member bloc have grown with good momentum. China hopes to expand consensus on development and cooperation, make new progress in jointly fostering a peaceful, safe, secure, prosperous, beautiful, and amicable home, and work to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, Lin said. It remains unclear whether Wang will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from participating countries on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting. Manila is hosting the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings from 20 to 24 July. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are among the foreign ministers attending the gathering.