Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Wang attended Yi a China‑ASEAN foreign
ministers' meeting in Manila on July 22 with ASEAN foreign ministers and the
ASEAN secretary‑general. China and eight ASEAN states reached key consensus on
building a bilateral community of shared future. Lin said the South China Sea
should not be an obstacle to China‑ASEAN relations, that China and ASEAN have
the capacity to manage disputes, and that Beijing intends to firmly hold the
primary role in preserving peace and stability in the South China Sea. China
urged removal of external interference and called for accelerating consultations
on a South China Sea Code of Conduct (CoC).
