China stands ready to continue to work with other countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and accelerate the negotiation of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace and cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

China and Indonesia can serve as a model of mutual trust and assistance between a major country and a neighboring country, and should remain open and inclusive in their win-win cooperation, Wang added.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a joint press conference after he met with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

(Retno Marsudi, Indonesia's foreign affairs minister, speaks during a news conference with Wang Yi in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 18, 2024. /CFP)

Wang congratulated Indonesia on its recent general elections and the outstanding development achievements obtained led by President Joko Widodo.

The two sides agreed that China and Indonesia should serve as a model of mutual trust and assistance between major countries and neighboring countries, as an engine for the modernization of developing countries, and as partners of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation.

The two sides are willing to continue to work with other ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and accelerate the negotiation of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace and cooperation. 

(Source: Xinhuanet)