Reception Hall, Malacañan Palace
October 26, 2021

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte participated in the 24th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – China Summit together with his fellow ASEAN Leaders via virtual convention.

On this year’s Summit, the ASEAN Leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang focused on further strengthening several areas of mutual cooperation between the regional bloc and the People’s Republic of China. These included the economy, trade, peace and security, multilateralism, and combating transnational crimes, among others.

Since the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the ASEAN Leaders recognized the aid being given by China in pandemic response including donations of vaccines to the Southeast Asian region. They welcomed China’s support to the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework to overcome the drastic effects of the pandemic and to prepare for future public health emergencies.

As the ASEAN region continues to recover from the pandemic, Leaders urged further partnership with China in boosting collaboration towards economic recovery and integration.

Chaired by Brunei Darussalam, this year’s 39th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits centered on the theme, ‘We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper.’ Due to the ongoing public health emergency in Southeast Asia, all meetings relative to the ASEAN Summit were held via virtual convention.

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