KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday urged China and ASEAN countries to unite more closely for self-strengthening, fend off external disruptions, and defend their legitimate rights and interests through mutual reliance and coordinated actions, amid new changes in the current international landscape.

Addressing the 28th China-ASEAN Summit, Li also called on both sides to gather greater synergy and promote steady economic growth through addressing each other's needs and deepening cooperation.

Li said that, as President Xi Jinping said during his April visit to Southeast Asia, unity brings strength, and cooperation leads to mutual success.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. During that war, China and Southeast Asian nations supported each other and fought side by side, ultimately achieving independence and liberation, he said.

In the decades that followed, Li said, China and Southeast Asian countries pursued common development together, achieving rapid economic growth through mutual inspiration and concerted efforts, and weathering major storms such as the financial crisis, tsunamis, and the COVID-19 pandemic through mutual assistance and solidarity.

Li said that China stands ready to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with ASEAN countries and effectively implement the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030), in a continued effort to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

In doing so, first, Li said, is to make mutual strategic trust more solid.

China will enhance strategic communication, properly handle differences, and continue to support efforts to peacefully resolve disputes between Cambodia and Thailand through the "ASEAN Way," he said.

China also calls for accelerating the consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and striving for its early conclusion, Li said.

Second, Li said, is to deepen the integration of interests.

Taking the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol as an opportunity, China and ASEAN should work to advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and strengthen industrial integration, he said.

China will inject more capital to the China-ASEAN Cooperation Fund, and is ready to establish the China-ASEAN Digital Academy, build a cooperation platform on artificial intelligence, and set up a center for maritime development and technology cooperation, he said, adding that the two sides can also deepen cooperation in transportation, digital economy, green economy, disaster prevention and mitigation, and climate change.

Third, Li said, is to strengthen people-to-people bonds.

China will ensure the successful conclusion of the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges, and designate 2026 as a thematic year of the 5th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he said.

Li also urged the two sides to establish mechanisms for meetings of the China-ASEAN tourism ministers and education ministers, and make full use of the China-ASEAN Network of Academies on Governance and Public Administration and Think Tanks.

China stands ready to proceed shoulder to shoulder with ASEAN countries to achieve steady and sustained progress in the China-ASEAN cooperation, Li added.

ASEAN leaders attending the summit stated that ASEAN-China relations have continued to deepen, yielding fruitful cooperation across various fields that have brought extensive benefits to the people of the region. This partnership has become a paradigm of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win in regional cooperation.

ASEAN countries are willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, enhance political mutual trust, and work together to carry out the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030) and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, they said.

The ASEAN countries also stand ready to expand cooperation with China in areas such as economy and trade, connectivity, digital economy, green development, energy, education, tourism, and combating transnational crimes, the leaders said, expressing their willingness to strengthen people-to-people bonds and advance the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to a higher level.

They added that ASEAN is willing to work with China to conclude the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea at an early date, making positive contributions to regional peace, security, and stability.

Prior to the summit, Li and Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, the rotating ASEAN Chair, jointly witnessed the signing of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol.