ANKARA

Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi on Thursday said Beijing has always been a stabilizing force in a turbulent world and a reliable partner for Southeast Asian nations to cope with challenges.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China should "support and achieve each other in the process of promoting Asia's modernization," Wang told bloc's foreign ministers in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

His comments came as the US imposed unilateral tariffs on many of the regional nations including allies.

"We should be a model for maintaining regional peace and stability. The world is in chaos today, and the peace and stability of our region are precious and should be firmly protected," he said, according to a statement released by China's Foreign Ministry.

He stressed that geopolitical conflicts and bloc confrontations must never be allowed to take root in Asia, and emphasized the importance of resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation

Beijing is willing to take the lead in signing the protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, Wang said.

On the disputed South China Sea, the Chinese foreign minister said it was the common home of regional countries, not a "battlefield" for great power games and China was willing to expand cooperation with ASEAN countries in the fields of marine environmental protection, navigation safety and maritime law enforcement.

Wang also met Kao Kim Hourn, the ASEAN secretary-general.

ASEAN top diplomats meet counterparts from Australia, New Zealand

The top diplomats in the group also met their Australian and New Zealand counterparts and discussed further strengthening cooperation and future direction.

They explored ways of advancing the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including through the implementation of a 2025-2029 action plan, and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern.

"ASEAN matters to Australia because our security and prosperity are tied to this region," Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on X after the meeting.

During their meeting with New Zealand’s top diplomat Winston Peters, ASEAN foreign ministers welcomed the progress achieved in ASEAN-New Zealand cooperation and discussed ways to further enhance the strategic partnership.

"Both sides looked forward to the ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative Summit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their relations," according to a statement.

The island nation of Timor-Leste attended the meeting as an observer.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to hold meetings with the ASEAN foreign ministers.

The post-ministerial conference, which began on Tuesday, will continue through Friday.

ASEAN is a 10-member international intergovernmental organization made up of Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Malaysia assumed ASEAN’s rotating chair in 2025.