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, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and leaders of partner countries including Japan, South Korea, Australia and India.
Neither U.S. President Joe Biden nor his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, is attending.
