appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Kolette Lim

Economic cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is set to deepen despite bloc members advancing trade deals with the United States, Beijing’s ambassador to Asean has said.
At a forum in Indonesia’s Jakarta on Tuesday, Wang Qing urged both sides to remain committed to shared economic success and to oppose external interference, underscoring the importance of ties amid growing protectionism and unilateralism.
Wang delivered a speech at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026, marking his first public address just three weeks after assuming the role.
“We must firmly support free trade and promote an inclusive form of economic globalisation that delivers benefits to all … Development should not be a zero-sum competition, but a process of joint progress and shared prosperity,” he said.
“We must uphold multilateralism and work to strengthen an international order grounded in international law.”
In an interview on the sidelines of the forum, Wang also said China remained confident that US trade agreements with countries in the 11-member bloc would not have a negative influence on China-Asean cooperation.
“We are confident in the resilience of economic and trade ties between China and Asean,” Wang said. “We have worked together for long years, we are interconnected, and we regard each other as a reliable partner.”

China-Asean trade surpassed US$1 trillion last year, and both sides have been each other’s largest trading partner for six consecutive years, according to Wang. They upgraded their free-trade agreement in October last year, expanding its terms to cover product quality, environmental protection and help for small businesses.
Wang said China was open to Asean members having economic agreements with other states. “Because this is the bilateral relations between Asean and the US, we are consistent on non-interference.”
But he admitted there were “concerns” circling these agreements.
“We think [the agreements] should not harm the interests of China, and should not target a third party,” Wang said.
“These agreements should be conducive to the Asean countries’ economic development and also follow some principles of the World Trade Organization on free trade and integration.”
In his address at the conference, Wang urged both China and Asean to remain committed to shared economic success, and oppose external interference and decoupling.
Both sides have benefited from globalisation and their mutual economic partnership, which Wang described as “one of the most dynamic and successful examples of regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific”.
China would implement the philosophy outlined in its 15th five-year plan, which included innovation coordination, openness and shared benefits, Wang said.
“In this process, we will fully leverage the advantages of China’s vast market of over 1.4 billion people, actively promote the export-to-China initiative, and support high-quality Asean products in entering, and thriving in the Chinese market,” he said.

Wang called for both parties to expand cooperation in digital services, artificial intelligence and the green economy.
“China’s strengths in 5G, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence align well with Asean’s needs for industrial upgrading,” he said, adding that cooperation in these sectors could lead to tangible growth.
Sustainability should also be a pillar of cooperation, and businesses could benefit from opportunities arising from the transition into low-carbon energy as the partnership explores collaboration in renewable energy, critical minerals, and green finance, Wang said.
He also urged the strengthening of supply-chain resilience, improving infrastructure connectivity and the facilitation of the flow of key goods and services.
Wang on the sidelines noted that a stumbling block included the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines, this year’s Asean chair.
Beijing hoped that parties could this year finalise a code of conduct in the South China Sea, after negotiations faced multiple delays, Wang noted.
“It is not easy to find a solution but there are two things we should adhere to. We should not take provocative measures and escalate the tension,” he said.
“We should avoid bringing the interference of external forces, because this will only make the dispute more complicated and complex to tackle.”


SCMP’s China Conference to debut in Astana this September

As China and Indonesia strengthen ties, Hong Kong has a role to play

Fosun Health to build first overseas hospitals in Indonesia amid Chinese ‘go global’ push

Ambassador urges ‘shared prosperity’ in China-Asean ties amid growing protectionism

China Conference: Southeast Asia

SCMP Events

Wang Qing, China’s ambassador to Asean, at the  South China Morning Post’s China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026 on Tuesday. Photo: SCMP

China and Asean upgraded their free-trade agreement in October last year. Photo: Xinhua

Visitors learn about cloud computing products and their application at Apsara Conference 2024 in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province, in September 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Why Asean must stay nimble to survive US-China trade squeeze

Mohamed Amersi (centre) and Bernardino Moningka Vega (right) take part in a plenary panel hosted by SCMP Executive Editor Zuraidah Ibrahim at the China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026 on Tuesday. Photo: SCMP

Tengku Zafrul Aziz (right), chairman of Malaysian Investment Development Authority, attends a panel discussion at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026 in Jakarta on Tuesday. Photo: SCMP

Containers are unloaded at the Tanjung Priok International Port in Jakarta on February 4. Photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hands with Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto at the “Board of Peace” meeting in Davos on January 22. Photo: AFP

Indonesian workers sew bags in a factory in Bandung, West Java. Photo: AP

Asean cautioned against legitimising Myanmar junta as ministers meet on peace plan

Asean foreign ministers pose for a group photo in Cebu City on Thursday where they discussed the bloc’s response to the Myanmar crisis. Photo: Reuters

Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Hau Khan Sum arrives for the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Cebu on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Myanmar election officials count ballots at a polling station in Yangon on Sunday after the final phase of the country’s multi-stage general election, the first held since the military seized power in a 2021 coup. Photo: EPA

How shared Asean visa could help Philippines find its travel feet

Tourists have fun in the  Cambugahay Falls on the Philippine island of Siquijor on December 10 last year. Photo: AFP

Tourists dressed in traditional Thai attire pose for souvenir photos at the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok on January 19. Photo: EPA

A tourist sits outside a street cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam, on January 7. Photo: EPA

Chinese actress Fan Bingbing enjoys durians in Melaka, Malaysia. Photo: Instagram/bingbing_fan

Did Asean members get short-changed by Trump on trade deals with ‘strings attached’?

US President Donald Trump and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold signed documents during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump signed deals on rare earths with Thailand and Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Photo: Shutterstock

US President Donald Trump reacts to dancing performers during a welcoming ceremony after arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to attend the Asean summit on Sunday. Photo: AP

This Week in Asia

Economics

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Wang Qing says both sides should uphold multilateralism and oppose external interference, even as Asean members seek trade deals with US


Wang Qing says both sides should uphold multilateralism and oppose external interference, even as Asean members seek trade deals with US.


Ambassador urges ‘shared prosperity’ in China-Asean ties amid growing protectionism

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Wang Qing says both sides should uphold multilateralism and oppose external interference, even as Asean members seek trade deals with US

Wang Qing says both sides should uphold multilateralism and oppose external interference, even as Asean members seek trade deals with US