China warns against 'new Cold War'

Jakarta: Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday it is important to avoid a "new Cold War" when dealing with conflicts between countries as world leaders gathered in Indonesia amid sharpening geopolitical rivalries across the Indo-Pacific region.

Speaking at an annual summit involving members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan and South Korea, Li said countries needed to "appropriately handle differences and disputes".

"At present, it is very important to oppose taking sides, bloc confrontation and a new Cold War," Li told the meeting.


ASEAN, which has warned of the danger of getting dragged into major powers' disputes, is also holding wider talks with Li, US Vice President Kamala Harris and leaders of partner countries including Japan, South Korea, Australia and India.

Neither US President Joe Biden nor his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, is attending.

High on the agenda at the gatherings in Jakarta is concern about China's increasingly assertive activity in the South China Sea, an important trade corridor in which several ASEAN members have claims that conflict with China.

In remarks at the start of her meeting with ASEAN leaders, Harris said the United States was committed to the region.

"The United States has an enduring commitment to Southeast Asia and more broadly to the Indo-Pacific," she said.

Harris also said the United States would continue to press the Myanmar junta to end "horrific violence" that has erupted since a military coup in 2021.

A White House official had earlier said Harris would "underscore the United States' and ASEAN's shared interest in upholding the rules-based international order, including in the South China Sea, in the face of China's unlawful maritime claims and provocative actions".