China’s Premier warns countries to oppose a new Cold War

JAKARTA, Indonesia – As top Asian and other officials convened for talks in Indonesia on Wednesday, China's Premier Li Qiang made a warning and said that countries must oppose a new Cold War.

The Chinese official's remarks came as leaders and top officials, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, gathered to discuss various issues that have overshadowed Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings this week.

Beijing has voiced alarm over US-backed blocs emerging at its borders while also contending with disagreements with other regional countries over the South China Sea and other matters.

Li cautioned that disagreements and conflicts between nations could arise due to misunderstandings, conflicting interests, or external interventions.

"Disagreements and disputes may arise between countries due to misperceptions, diverging interests, or external interferences," Li Qiang said at the start of an ASEAN-Plus-Three meeting with Japan and South Korea in Jakarta.

"To keep differences under control, what is essential now is to oppose picking sides, to oppose bloc confrontation and to oppose a new Cold War."

During an ASEAN leaders' summit on Tuesday, Indonesia underscored that the bloc would not be used as an instrument in the ongoing tensions between the United States and China.

The host country's statement came in light of escalating US-China disputes concerning Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Russia's incursion into Ukraine.

The ASEAN-Plus Three consists of the 10 ASEAN Member States, China, Japan, and South Korea. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, also acting as the coordinator of the Plus Three countries, were present in the Summit and each expressed their full support for and cooperation with the ASEAN.