Assalamulaikum Warahmatullah, selamat pagi.

Welcome to the ASEAN – China Summit, and on behalf of ASEAN, I’m delighted to welcome Premier Li Qiang, Premier of the People’s Republic of China. 

Premier Li, you were with us earlier this year for the ASEAN GCC – China Summit. We are honoured to have you again today. It is a reflection of China’s firm and unyielding commitment to deepening ties with ASEAN. And if people are curious, day before we were with President Donald Trump of the United States of America, and today we are back with China. 

That reflects ASEAN centrality and I commend and congratulate my colleagues in ASEAN for the wisdom to maintain centrality and maintain friendly relations with all countries.

This is what we consider as steady engagement that fosters trust, that enables us to work through challenges together. There are 11 of us, Premier Li Qiang, now with Timor Leste as a new member. Complete uniformity of views is neither possible nor desirable but I believe this appreciation for China’s consistent and constructive engagement is shared by all. 

Now, we have seen and witnessed the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, which marks an important step in our economic cooperation and I thank again, my colleagues in ASEAN and China for this spectacular feat in terms of the FTA as the First ASEAN – China FTA.

So again, thank you Premier Li Qiang, the Premier of the People’s Republic of China, for joining us and I share the sentiments of all our colleagues in ASEAN and I now have the pleasure of inviting you to deliver your opening remarks. 

Prime Minister's Office OF MALAYSIA
28 OCT 2025 – CHINA SUMMIT