Wang Yi Meets ASEAN Chief Kao Kim Hourn, Urging Progress on Sea Code

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Beijing, reaffirming that China regards the regional bloc as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy. According to state media reports, Wang expressed support for ASEAN centrality and urged joint efforts to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea while accelerating consultations on a binding Code of Conduct. Kao described China as a trustworthy and reliable partner and pledged to deepen practical cooperation and maintain regional maritime stability.

As geopolitical and maritime tensions persist across the Indo-Pacific, dialogue between Beijing and ASEAN leadership provides a barometer for regional diplomacy. High-level reaffirmations of ASEAN centrality and diplomatic engagement on the long-delayed South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC) help stabilize diplomatic expectations, even as member states navigate complex security dynamics and overlapping territorial claims.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Beijing on September 15, reaffirming Beijing's commitment to regional partnership and calling for steady progress on maritime negotiations, according to reports published by Xinhua and People's Daily. During the meeting, Wang, who also serves as a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stated that China attaches high importance to ASEAN and treats the regional bloc as a priority direction in its neighborhood diplomacy. He reiterated that Beijing will continue to firmly support ASEAN unity, community building, and the group's central role within the broader regional architecture. Wang added that China is prepared to work alongside ASEAN to build an even closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Turning to maritime governance, Wang emphasized China's readiness to collaborate with ASEAN member countries to effectively implement the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and to advance the ongoing consultation process for a substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). Kao, for his part, characterized China as a trustworthy and dependable partner for the Southeast Asian regional bloc, state media reported. He affirmed that ASEAN is prepared to work with Beijing to deepen and expand practical cooperation across diverse fields while jointly upholding peace and stability across the South China Sea. The high-level talks come against the backdrop of intricate regional dynamics, where economic integration between China and Southeast Asian nations continues to expand alongside recurring maritime friction with specific claimant states. While public communiques from such encounters consistently stress mutual trust and institutional cooperation, the diplomatic pace of the COC consultations remains a critical indicator of whether procedural dialogue can translate into enduring regional crisis-management mechanisms.