Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory letter on Friday to the inauguration of the 2021 China-ASEAN Year of Sustainable Development Cooperation.
Promoting sustainable development is fundamental to solving multiple global problems, Li noted in the letter, adding that the decision to make 2021 the year for such cooperation reflects the hope of the two sides to ramp up sustainable development in the region. It includes environmental protection, disaster prevention and mitigation, climate change, and poverty reduction.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations, which have witnessed considerable progress in bilateral relations and cooperation, he said.
China has always regarded the ASEAN as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and supports the ASEAN to strengthen its centrality in regional cooperation and play a greater role in building an open and inclusive regional architecture, Li said.
Li also stressed in the letter that China stands ready to cooperate with the ASEAN partners under the principle of mutual respect, mutual benefit, win-win results, deepening practical cooperation in various fields, and working together to build a closer community with a shared future.
