TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Jakarta Channel: Upholds multilateralism
The Jakarta Channel was officially put forward as a new concept in China-ASEAN relations by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in September 2018, when he met with a visiting delegation from the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat in Beijing.
Change Size
China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi. (The Brunei Times/ANN/Fazizul Haqimie)
T
he Jakarta Channel was officially put forward as a new concept in China-ASEAN relations by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in September 2018, when he met with a visiting delegation from the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat in Beijing. In his remarks, he gave his full recognition to the Jakarta Channel and conveyed his high expectations that it would play a bigger role in growing China-ASEAN ties.
It is not surprising that the term emerged from the China-ASEAN lexicon. Since its establishment in 1991, the relationship between China and ASEAN has played a pioneering role in ASEAN’s relations with its dialogue partners. China was the first to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the first to explicitly support ASEAN centrality in regional cooperation, the first to establish a strategic partnership with ASEAN, and the first to sign a free trade agreement with ASEAN. In this way, China and ASEAN have set an example of jointly upholding multilateralism and seeking common development through mutual respect and win-win cooperation.
Furthermore, through last year’s consultations via the Jakarta Channel, the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030 was completed as a key outcome document of the 21st ASEAN-China Summit. It made China the first ASEAN dialogue partner to map out a medium- and long-term vision for the relationship going forward.
To broaden the scope of the Jakarta Channel, the Chinese Mission to ASEAN and the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to ASEAN, as the country coordinator of China-ASEAN relations, co-founded the “Jakarta Forum on China-ASEAN Relations” (Jakarta Forum) with the kind support of the ASEAN Secretariat. The forum aims at stimulating discussions and innovative ideas, identifying new growth areas and pooling wisdom and resources towards building a regional community with a shared future.
