Chinese Prime Minister visits Philippines to address 'South China Sea conflict'... Attending the China-ASEAN Summit

Visit Thailand on the 13th to 15th... China 'Deepens cooperation in AI, energy security and interconnectivity with ASEAN'

(Beijing = Yonhap News) Correspondent Jeong Seong-jo = Prime Minister Li Chang, China's second-in-command, visits the Philippines, where there is a dispute over sovereignty over the South China Sea, to attend the China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 11th that Premier Li Chang will make an official visit to Thailand from the 13th to the 15th, and attend the 29th China-ASEAN Summit in Manila on the 15th to 16th at the invitation of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.

China has been dispatching its prime minister to the ASEAN-China Summit (10+1), one of the side events of the ASEAN Summit.

Guo Jiaqun, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "By attending this meeting, China will promote unity and mutual trust with ASEAN countries, and consolidate cooperation and common recognition. We will promote the prompt entry into force of the 'China-ASEAN Free Trade Area' (CAFTA) Version 3.0 Upgrade Protocol' and deepen cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital economy, energy security, interconnectivity, poverty alleviation and development." “We will build a common ground of peace, well-being, prosperity, beauty, and friendship together,” he said.

China and the Philippines are involved in a physical conflict between their navies and coastguards over sovereignty over the South China Sea, and the governments and high-level officials of the two countries have exchanged sharp criticism until recently.

A representative example is the diplomatic conflict that occurred in the middle of last month when Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro referred to China as a "troublemaker" in relation to the South China Sea, and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jingquan said, "If we try to use force, we can easily win."

Later, at the ASEAN Enlarged Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM-Plus) held in the Philippines late last month, China unusually sent only a defense attaché from the Chinese embassy rather than a defense chief, claiming that the Philippines had hindered China's participation.

In a phone call with Philippine Foreign Minister Teresa Lazaro on the 3rd, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi publicly demanded control of speech, saying, "Some politicians in the Philippines are crossing China's red line by repeatedly attacking and slandering China due to political prejudice and self-interest."

Ahead of a large-scale diplomatic event called the ASEAN Summit (16th to 18th), the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 8th began to crack down on the participation of its officials, saying, "Public statements that weaken the government's diplomatic approach risk eroding the country's credibility in international affairs and promote an image of internal division that can be exploited by external forces."

In addition to ASEAN member states, U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Dasiouba are scheduled to attend this ASEAN Summit.