On February 22 local time, Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with ASEAN Secretary-General Gao Jinhong in Jakarta. Qin Gang said that ASEAN is one of the most successful regional cooperation organizations. In the context of the profound evolution of the international and regional situation, ASEAN's status is more important. At present, the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership enjoys a good momentum of development. China is willing to continue to promote the construction of the "five homesteads" with ASEAN, constantly enrich the connotation of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides, and will continue to support the work of the ASEAN secretariat, jointly promote new achievements in China-ASEAN cooperation and new development in East Asia cooperation. Qin Gang said that at present, the world economic recovery is weak, the Ukrainian crisis is delayed, and the haze of geopolitical games continues to gather. The Asia-Pacific faces the choice of peace or confrontation, cooperation or division. China firmly supports the maintenance of ASEAN's central position, supports ASEAN's adherence to strategic independence, openness and inclusiveness, and does not choose sides to stand in line, and does not target third parties. China is willing to work with ASEAN to address challenges and jointly resist "decoupling and chain breaking" and "building barriers and walls". Gao Jinhong appreciated China's long-term high importance and valuable support for ASEAN integration construction, and said that China is the first major country to accede to the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and is also a vital strategic partner of ASEAN. The positioning of the relationship between the two sides has achieved strategic upgrading, cooperation has been deepened and mutual trust has been strengthened. We look forward to working with China to promote the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level and jointly safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity. The two sides said that they would speed up the negotiation process of the Free Trade Zone 3.0, promote the high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, cultivate more economic growth points, make the region continue to become a global development highland, and jointly host the 20th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Expo. The two sides will speed up the resumption of personnel exchanges in an orderly manner and promote people-to-people exchanges between China and ASEAN. The two sides will promote new progress in the consultation on the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" and further provide institutional guarantees for maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. On the same day, Qin Gang met with the members of the ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives. The two sides believe that China-ASEAN cooperation is mutually beneficial and dynamic, benefiting 2 billion people in 11 countries of both sides. It will strengthen the connection between regional sustainable development and global development initiatives, host the China-ASEAN Year of Agricultural Development and Food Security Cooperation, expand cooperation in tourism and transportation, digital economy, disaster response, clean energy, health care, capacity building and other fields, promote regional connectivity and enhance the resilience of the supply chain. Qin Gang stressed that China will continue to take ASEAN as its peripheral diplomatic priority, firmly support ASEAN solidarity and community building, and consolidate the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership around the three pillars of promoting economic growth, maintaining regional stability and strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges. (Xinhua News Agency)