Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) meets with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, in Athens, Greece, September 4, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

Upholding multilateralism remains the widespread consensus of the international community, senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi said on Friday as he wrapped up his visits to Myanmar, Spain and Greece. 

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua. 

International coordination and cooperation has been under attack amid rising unilateralism and protectionism, he said, slamming the attempt by a certain big country to stir up confrontation with a Cold War mindset. 

Yang said he exchanged views with leaders of Myanmar, Spain and Greece on safeguarding multilateralism and international fairness and reached enormous consensuses. Leaders of the three nations expressed the wish to enhance communication and cooperation with China to improve global governance and jointly support the multilateral system, he added.

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi (R) meets with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, September 1, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

All the three countries agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown once again that mankind is a community that shares weal and woe, he noted. China will make joint efforts with them to support the World Health Organization in playing the leading role in the global fight against the pandemic, he said.

China's ties with ASEAN, EU

Myanmar is an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and an important neighbor of China, and Spain and Greece are important member states of the European Union (EU) and China's comprehensive strategic partners, Yang noted as he commented on China's relations with the two regional blocs. 

China attaches great importance to ASEAN and takes ASEAN as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, he said, adding that China firmly supports ASEAN in its effort to grow more united and stronger. 

Noting that next year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of a dialogue partnership between China and ASEAN, Yang said that bilateral cooperation enjoys huge potential and broad prospects. 

He said the two sides should promote mutually-beneficial development, and further align the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) meets with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, in Madrid, Spain, September 3, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

In regards to ties between China and the EU, Yang noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the China-EU diplomatic relations, calling on the two sides to work together to meet each other halfway and take their relations to a new level. 

China and the EU should enhance political mutual trust, make the pie of common interests bigger and firmly uphold multilateralism, he stressed. 

This is Yang's second overseas tour in recent weeks, following his previous trip to Singapore and South Korea. 

China has gradually resumed international diplomatic tours with the easing of the COVID-19 outbreak. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently visited Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France and Germany. State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe attended the Defense Ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Russia.