On 20 February, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Vientiane, Laos.
Wang Yi noted that foreign ministers from the ASEAN countries and China gathered at the special meeting for one single purpose, that is, to jointly respond to the challenges brought by COVID-19. China and ASEAN countries, sharing mountains and rivers and a common future, have always supported and helped each other. The virus is our common enemy as the epidemic respects no borders and its outbreak leaves no one out. At this moment, we should work as one and overcome the difficulties. We need to cooperate more closely and proactively to stem the spread of the epidemic, protect health security of all peoples and make contribution to regional and global public health.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, leaders, governments and people from all walks of life from ASEAN countries have expressed their sympathies and support to China and cheered for China’s fight against the epidemic. Trying times reveal true friendship. We in China will always hold dear the friendship and help from our ASEAN friends.
We believe that the epidemic is short-lived while friendship and cooperation between China and ASEAN is time-tested. We will take our joint fight against the epidemic as an opportunity to further deepen the friendship between peoples in China and ASEAN countries, elevate China-ASEAN relations to a higher level and forge an even closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.