Asia-Pacific a region for cooperation, not games

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. [Photo/fmprc.gov.cn]

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are not "chess pieces in geopolitical competition", and the United States should give up its Cold War mentality and "small groups for confrontation in the Indo-Pacific" region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Wang made the remarks on Monday after the US announced it would host a US-ASEAN Special Summit on May 12 and 13 in Washington, which ASEAN said is the second bilateral special summit since 2016 and the first in-person engagement for ASEAN and US leaders since 2017.

The Asia-Pacific is a region for cooperation and development, not a chessboard for games between major powers, Wang said at a daily news conference, pointing out that every party should treasure the fact that the region is maintaining peace, stability and development in general.

The US should comply with regional countries' shared aspiration for peace and win-win cooperation, and respect the political systems, development paths and cultural values of Asian countries while participating in East Asian regional cooperation, Wang said.

The spokesman also called on the US to follow the "ASEAN way", which is characterized by openness, inclusiveness and consensus through consultations, take concrete measures to honor its commitment to supporting ASEAN's central role and do more to facilitate peace, development and prosperity in the region.

In another development, Wang said China's peacekeeping troops have brought peace and security to people suffering war over the past three decades, and China will work with all peace-loving countries to continue to contribute to world peace and development.

This month marks the 30th anniversary of China sending its first unit of Blue Helmets to the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Cambodia in 1992.

Over the past three decades, China has sent almost 50,000 troops to take part in 25 UN peacekeeping operations in more than 20 countries and regions, Wang said.

China's Blue Helmets show that the country has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a champion of international order, he said.