On the evening of August 4, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting via video link.

Wang Yi said, currently the COVID-19 pandemic is showing intricate developments, the economic recovery process is still uneven, and global and regional governance is facing multiple challenges. We EAS members include major global vaccine producers, key Asia-Pacific economies and vital forces of tackling climate change, and should thus stay united and work together to play an active role and make due contributions to the pandemic battle and economic recovery.

First, we need to uphold the scientific spirit and jointly procure new actions for cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. We should continue to expand the supply of vaccines and accelerate vaccination, while strengthening cooperation in research and development for vaccine updates and co-building regional vaccine production and distribution centers. China has firmly honored President Xi Jinping's solemn promise of making vaccines a global public good, and has so far provided more than 750 million doses of vaccines to countries around the world. We should conduct COVID-19 origin-tracing research in a scientific spirit, oppose any political manipulation, and truly provide lessons for preventing the next pandemic.

Second, we need to promote green development and create a fresh base for the post-pandemic recovery. We should join hands to address climate change and promote the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. China will firmly follow the green, low-carbon and sustainable development path and actively participate in the international cooperation on tackling climate change. China expects the EAS to issue a leaders' statement on green recovery for enhanced cooperation in the fields of environmental protection and new energy. China supports Russia's initiative to boost economic growth through tourism recovery, and endorses the formulation of updated Manila Plan of Action to Advance the Phnom Penh Declaration on the EAS Development Initiative at an early date, the prioritized alignment with the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, and the strengthened policy coordination for post-pandemic recovery.

Third, we need to strengthen ASEAN centrality and safeguard international fairness and justice. China supports ASEAN in issuing a statement advocating multilateralism and is willing to work with all parties to safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law. Meanwhile, we should remain vigilant against various kinds of pseudo-multilateralism, and resist the instigation of bloc confrontation in our region on the pretext of multilateralism in particular. ASEAN which holds the centrality of regional cooperation should not be treated as a mere figurehead, and we should not reinvent the wheel to replace an existing and mature regional cooperation mechanism. It is a serious violation of the basic norms governing international relations for certain countries to fabricate and hype up misinformation and wantonly interfere in the internal affairs of countries in the region. Cyber-attacks, a real threat to the globe, should be dealt with together. The "hacker power" engaged in large-scale network surveillance and eavesdropping worldwide should first reflect on and behave itself, instead of distracting attention, passing the buck and defaming other countries for no reason.

Wang Yi finally indicated that China, as a responsible country, is willing to work with all parties to promote the EAS to focus on cooperation in combating COVID-19 and recovering economy, and to make its own new contribution to the effective response to various global challenges.