Chinese, ASEAN senior officials to hold consultation in Singapore

The 22nd China-ASEAN Senior Officials' Consultation will be held in Singapore on Wednesday and Thursday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Monday.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin will co-chair the consultation with Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Singapore Chee Wee Kiong, spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

The senior officials' consultation is an important annual meeting for senior diplomats from China and ten ASEAN countries, said Hua.

This year's meeting will focus on advancing China-ASEAN relations and regional cooperation in East Asia and preparing for a commemorative summit on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations in September, she said.

On the sidelines of the consultation, Liu and senior officials from ASEAN countries will also hold the 11th Senior Officials' Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), Hua said.

The officials will hold an in-depth exchange of ideas on how to implement the DOC, promote cooperation and advance consultations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea (COC) under the framework of the DOC, the spokesperson said. Endi