On Monday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister (FM) Wang Yi met officials from Venezuela, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and the United Nations (UN).
Venezuela
Wang held a phone conversation with Venezuelan FM Félix Plasencia during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The Chinese FM said China attaches great importance to its cooperation with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and will continue to maintain close communication and coordination with Latin American and Caribbean countries in vaccine cooperation, economic, and livelihood recovery.
Plasencia told Wang that Venezuela appreciates China’s strong support for the country’s fight against COVID-19 and is willing to take an active part in the joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
NATO
In a virtual conversation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Wang said, “China has not been, and will not be, an adversary of NATO. China is willing to continue dialogue with NATO based on equality and mutual respect.”
Additionally, Wang stressed that the Asia-Pacific region is “home to China.” Referring to the recently signed AUKUS deal, Wang said, “In recent years, some NATO members have sent ships and planes to the vicinity of China. But the Asia-Pacific region does not need to establish new military blocs. It should no longer cause confrontation between major powers, let alone forming small cliques to instigate a new Cold War. NATO should adhere to its original geographical positioning and play a constructive role in securing peaceful and stable regional development.”
Stoltenberg responded, “NATO does not see China as an adversary and is willing to develop a constructive relationship with China, including continuing dialogue and exchanges and exploring cooperation on a range of issues such as non-proliferation and climate change.”
UN
In a virtual talk, Wang told UN Secretary-General António Guterres that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development “is in urgent need of new impetus” in light of the “impact of the pandemic on global recovery and the difficulties faced by developing countries in economic development.”
Guterres responded that the UN is ready to jointly respond to global challenges with China, particularly to “provide greater support and assistance to developing countries in recovering from COVID-19 and tackling climate change.”
Brunei
On Wednesday, Wang had a phone conversation with Bruneian Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan bin Pehin Yusof. Erywan is also the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) envoy to Myanmar.
Wang appreciated Brunei’s work during its rotating presidency of ASEAN and expressed hope that the country would advance China-ASEAN relations.
For his part, Erywan thanked China for its support in Brunei’s fight against the pandemic. He said that as the rotating president of the ASEAN, Brunei would enhance mutual trust between ASEAN and China.
Chinese Diplomacy: Weekly Round-Up (25 September- 01 October, 2021)
This week, Chinese diplomats held meetings with officials from Venezuela, NATO, the UN, and Brunei.
October 1, 2021
SOURCE: PTI