China urges stronger regional tech cooperation with Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN

CHINA: China is calling on its neighbours — Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian nations — to strengthen cooperation in science and technology, pointing to shared opportunities in fast-growing fields like artificial intelligence, robotics, and biomedicine.

At a leaders’ summit in Malaysia with ASEAN, Japan, and South Korea, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said deeper partnerships and joint research would help the region keep pace with the global wave of innovation. His remarks, reported by Xinhua News Agency on Monday, described science and technology as key engines for regional growth and resilience.

Li added that China is ready to expand collaboration in emerging industries such as the digital economy, electric vehicles, and clean energy, calling them the next pillars of development across East Asia.

“We must continue to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, oppose outside interference, and avoid creating unnecessary tension and conflict,” Li told leaders at the meeting — a message seen as both a call for stability and a reminder of shared regional interests amid rising geopolitical challenges.

In a related development, China strengthened its economic ties with Southeast Asia, signing an expanded version of its free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The move, unveiled by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, was presented as a push for “solidarity over confrontation” — a clear contrast to the protectionist policies once championed by former US President Donald Trump.

Speaking at the ASEAN-China summit after the signing, Li urged regional leaders to deepen cooperation amid growing global uncertainty. “Pursuing confrontation instead of solidarity brings no benefit,” he said, denouncing what he described as “economic coercion and bullying” — a thinly veiled reference to Washington’s trade and security approach.

Citing remarks from President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Southeast Asia, Li added, “Unity is strength,” emphasising Beijing’s vision of shared prosperity through stronger regional integration.

However, not everyone in the room was convinced. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose country remains locked in tense territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, welcomed the new trade pact but issued a pointed warning.

“This cooperation cannot exist alongside coercion,” Marcos said, underscoring the deep mistrust that still lingers between China and several ASEAN nations, even as their economies become increasingly intertwined.

The expanded deal is expected to simplify trade procedures, widen market access, and boost investment flows between China and ASEAN’s ten member states. Still, beneath the polished diplomacy, the agreement highlighted a broader geopolitical struggle — with Beijing presenting itself as a defender of open trade and multilateralism in a region that remains cautious of its growing influence.