Chinese Prime Minister Li to attend ASEAN summit in Indonesia

ISTANBUL

China’s prime minister will be joining Southeast Asian leaders and others in a summit in Indonesia next week, Beijing announced on Friday.

Li Qiang will travel to the country’s capital Jakarta on Tuesday to attend three days of meetings with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), along with Japan and South Korea, said Wang Wenbin, spokesman of China’s Foreign Ministry.

After taking part in the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit — which includes China, Japan, and, South Korea — and the 18th East Asia Summit, the Chinese premier will stay for another day on Friday to pay official visits to Indonesian officials, Wang said.

The spokesman added that Li was invited by President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN, which will be holding its 43rd summit from Monday to Thursday.

China is ASEAN’s biggest trading partner, while many member nations of the Southeast Asian bloc share land and maritime boundaries with the world’s second-largest economy.

• ASEAN
• China
• Indonesia
• Premier Li Qiang
• President Joko Widodo