ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Joint Statement on Addressing the Regional Impacts of Developments in the Middle East and Strengthening Regional Energy Cooperation

We, the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the People’s Republic of China, gathered on the occasion of ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) with China in Manila, the Republic of the Philippines, on 22 July 2026;

RECALLING the commitment of ASEAN and China to advancing practical  cooperation in the areas of common interest, including the four priority areas identified in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which contributes to the building of an open, inclusive and sustainable region that enjoys peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development, reaffirming our support for ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture and all ASEAN-led mechanisms and fora, and recalling ASEAN’s acknowledgment of China's active efforts to promote closer ASEAN-China cooperation, including China’s vision to build a closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future, and taking note of China’s initiative to build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home in the region, as outlined in the Joint Statement of the ASEAN-China Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026–2030), and the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Mutually Beneficial Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP);

REAFFIRMING the principles, shared values and norms enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) as well as international law;

ACKNOWLEDGING the continued communication and cooperation between ASEAN and China on international and regional issues of common interest and responses;

RECOGNISING that the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East and its spillover effects pose a grave threat to the lives and safety of civilians, as well as to regional and global peace, stability, and economic activities including regional trade, investment, energy, and food security;

EMPHASISING the importance of dialogue, diplomacy, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts in accordance with international law;

NOTING ASEAN’s commitment to undertaking priority actions for regional resilience as outlined in the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on the Response to the Middle East Crisis, adopted during the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, on 8 May 2026, as a key reference of ASEAN’s collective response; and

NOTING China’s effort in putting forth the four-point proposal on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. 

Hereby agree on the following: 

1.  Welcome the ongoing diplomatic engagements, including the negotiations between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran, mediated by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the State of Qatar with the support of other concerned parties, and call upon the parties involved to stay committed to multilateralism as well as genuine dialogue and diplomacy towards a peaceful and lasting resolution to the conflict, based on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. We underscore the importance of maintaining regional peace, stability and prosperity, upholding international law, and urge all parties to live in peace and maintain conducive conditions for the full and effective implementation of the ceasefire, by adhering strictly to its terms, exercising utmost restraint, completely and immediately ceasing hostilities across all fronts in the Middle East, respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure in armed conflicts, ensuring unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance, and refraining from taking any action that may escalate tensions;

2.  Reaffirm the importance of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, maintaining maritime safety and security, and upholding freedom of navigation in and overflight above straits used for international navigation, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and relevant instruments of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and relevant standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In this regard, we call for the safe, unimpeded, and continuous transit passage of vessels and aircraft in straits used for international navigation, in line with the 1982 UNCLOS, as well as for all parties to ensure the safety of seafarers and ships in accordance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS); and

3.  Agree to carry out exchange of information on energy policy and practical cooperation between ASEAN and China, and explore the possible establishment of cooperation mechanisms for this purpose as mutually agreed to enhance regional energy security and resilience to contribute to the sustainable development in the region. We will further strengthen cooperation in regional power interconnectivity, energy supply chains, clean low-carbon and renewable energy, energy technology innovation, civilian nuclear energy, and other relevant areas, in support of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (2026–2030) and by exploring opportunities for cooperation under China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI) and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). We will also make appropriate use, where mutually agreed, of relevant cooperation initiatives, such as the partnership between ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and the China-ASEAN Clean Energy Cooperation Center, and mobilise available public and private financing resources, including relevant ASEAN institutions, multilateral development banks, international financial institutions, and partner-supported financing mechanisms such as the China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund.