The 31st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) foreign ministers’ meeting was held in Vientiane, Laos, July 27, 2024.  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the meeting.

The meeting issued a statement on strengthening regional cooperation on ferry safety, which was jointly initiated by China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore to enhance regional ferry transportation safety management, safeguard people's lives, promote connectivity and strengthen the resilience of regional economic development.

This will give new impetus to regional cooperation on ferry safety, and further enhance the safety and well-being of the people in the region.

The meeting also adopted work plans on fields including counter-terrorism and combating transnational crime, and disaster reduction. It is also agreed to organize training courses on combating cyber fraud, ferry safety, earthquake and tsunami, and other disaster response.