RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Sugiono, has called for the ASEAN–China economic partnership to be further strengthened in order to enhance regional resilience and maintain stability amid growing global uncertainty.

Speaking at the ASEAN–China Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, the Philippines, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, he said the scale of ASEAN–China economic relations should be translated into tangible benefits for the people, stronger supply chains, and greater regional resilience in the face of emerging challenges.

"These are not just numbers. Behind them are jobs, markets, supply chains, and the well-being of our people. Our task now is to transform the scale of this partnership into greater regional resilience," Sugiono said in a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to the minister, ASEAN–China trade reached US$772.4 billion in 2024, accounting for around one-fifth of ASEAN's total trade. Indonesia is encouraging the optimization of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) 3.0 to promote a more practical, inclusive, and future-ready regional economic integration.

He stressed that the region's economic strength should not be measured solely by the volume of trade, but also by the extent to which its benefits reach communities and businesses, including those outside major economic centers.

Beyond economic cooperation, Indonesia also called for the ASEAN–China partnership to play a greater role in strengthening regional stability amid intensifying global rivalry. According to Sugiono, ASEAN Centrality must remain the foundation of regional peace, with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) serving as a framework for inclusive, transparent, and rules-based cooperation.

On maritime cooperation, Indonesia reiterated its call for the completion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea this year, in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The meeting also adopted the ASEAN–China Foreign Ministers' Joint Statement on Addressing the Regional Impacts of Developments in the Middle East and Strengthening Regional Energy Cooperation, reaffirming the shared commitment of ASEAN and China to address the regional impacts of developments in the Middle East while strengthening regional energy resilience and cooperation.

The year 2026 marks the 35th anniversary of ASEAN–China Dialogue Relations and the fifth anniversary of the ASEAN–China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.