[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister, will consecutively visit five Southeast Asian countries including Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia starting from the 3rd.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website on the 2nd, during his tour, Minister Wang will preside over the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting (with participants from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc.) in Myanmar and attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Indonesia. Minister Wang is also expected to hold bilateral foreign minister talks with each visited country. Afterwards, he will return to China to preside over the 14th Meeting of the China-Vietnam Bilateral Cooperation Steering Committee and the 6th Meeting of the China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Through these schedules continuing until the 14th, he will engage with most ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 10 countries) member states.
At the NATO summit held on the 29th-30th of last month, China was defined as a 'challenge,' and with the attendance of leaders from South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, efforts to strengthen cooperation with Asia-Pacific countries were pursued. In response, China appears to be reinforcing its diplomacy toward Southeast Asia.
Earlier, on the 23rd of last month, China held the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa emerging economies) summit and decided to promote the expansion of BRICS membership, focusing on strengthening its allied forces.
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