China and Indonesia on Monday celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defense Minister Dong Jun attended the celebratory event in Beijing, along with Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said in a speech that China and Indonesia are good neighbors across the sea and good friends with a shared future.
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 75 years ago, the traditional friendship between the two countries has withstood the test of time and grown stronger, and bilateral practical cooperation has achieved fruitful results, Wang said.
He said China-Indonesia ties, which have weathered rain and shine and gone through trials and tribulations, have achieved remarkable accomplishments and taught valuable lessons including adhering to the leadership of the heads of state, sticking to strategic independence, committing to mutual benefit and win-win results, and upholding fairness and justice.
Under the new circumstances, Wang said, China stands ready to work with Indonesia to jointly promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit and push for the Global South to seek great strength through solidarity.
In his speech, Sugiono said that in a world fraught with uncertainties, greater unity between the two countries is needed more than ever before.
Indonesia is willing to work with China to promote bilateral relations towards a new era of common prosperity, he said.
China and Indonesia held the First Ministerial Meeting of Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue in the Chinese capital on Monday.
Bandung, capital city of Indonesia's West Java province, hosted the first Asian-African Conference in April 1955, marking the first time that countries in the Global South united to oppose imperialism and colonialism in defense of their sovereign rights and a more equitable world.
China urges the Philippines to strictly abide by the one-China principle and stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question, said Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
The Philippine government eased restrictions on interactions with the Taiwan authorities, allowing some of its government officials to visit Taiwan. In response, Zhu urged the Philippines to stop its provocative actions.
"We strongly oppose official interactions of any form between countries that have established diplomatic relations with China and China's Taiwan region. The Philippines should strictly abide by the one-China principle, stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question, and stop sending wrong signals to Taiwan secessionists. No matter how the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities seek separatist scheme and make provocations in collusion with external forces, the fact that Taiwan is a part of China cannot be changed," said Zhu during the press briefing.
