KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia - Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah over the phone Saturday, and both sides pledged to safeguard the mature ASEAN-centered regional cooperation framework.
After his 10 day tour to Pacific island countries, Wang briefed Saifuddin on his visit to those countries.
Wang said that China and the island states will continue to build the Road and Belt, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and seek common development and revitalization.
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Saifuddin said regional countries expect China to improve South-South cooperation in order to create a more harmonious Pacific region, as China is a country with primary responsibilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Both sides expressed concerns about the evolving situation in Europe, particularly the spillover effect of the Ukraine crisis, and agreed that countries in East Asia should boost strategic communication, strengthen unity and coordination, and join hands in safeguarding the hard-won peace and development.
China and Malaysia believed that regional countries should preserve the mature cooperation framework with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN at the center, and try to prevent the Cold War mentality from taking root in this region to create a new camp confrontation.
They hope that other major countries can play a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Wang visited the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea as well as Timor-Leste.