Top diplomats of Southeast Asian countries held a summit with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday to review the progress of ASEAN-China cooperation and discuss its future direction, said an official statement.

At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post-Ministerial Conference with China, held alongside an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, the top diplomats exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern.

They also met with Kao Kim Hourn, the ASEAN secretary-general.

The top diplomats in the group also met with their Australian and New Zealand counterparts and discussed further strengthening cooperation and future direction.

They explored ways of advancing the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including through the implementation of a 2025-2029 action plan, and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern, it said in a statement.

"ASEAN matters to Australia because our security and prosperity are tied to this region," Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on X after the meeting.

During their meeting with New Zealand’s top diplomat Winston Peters, ASEAN foreign ministers welcomed the progress achieved in ASEAN-New Zealand cooperation and discussed ways to further enhance the strategic partnership.

"Both sides looked forward to the ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative Summit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their relations," according to a statement.

The island nation of Timor-Leste attended the meeting as an observer.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to hold meetings with the ASEAN foreign ministers.

The post-ministerial conference, which began on Tuesday, will continue through Friday.

ASEAN is a 10-member international intergovernmental organization made up of Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Malaysia assumed ASEAN’s rotating chair in 2025.