South China Sea disputes should not and will not affect relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a speech delivered at at the opening ceremony of the 10th China-ASEAN Expo on Tuesday.

Regarding South China Sea disputes, China has always firmly held that the immediate disputing parties should seek sound solutions through friendly negotiations on the basis of respecting historical facts and international laws, Li said.

He added that the Chinese side maintains tensions over South China Sea sovereignties are not an issue between China and the ASEAN.

Ten years ago, China and ASEAN countries jointly signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which has firmly maintained peace and stability and substantially safeguarded free voyages in the South China Sea, said Li.

China will continue to comprehensively implement all provisions in the Declaration with an attitude of accountability, and steadily facilitate talks over a code of conduct in the South China Sea step by step under the framework of the Declaration.

Some factors continue to disrupt regional stability and development in this region, but that's not the mainstream, he said, adding that China is full of confidence in future development of relations with ASEAN countries.

"China's good-neighborly policy toward the ASEAN is not a matter of expediency, but a long-term strategic option of China," said the premier." China will firmly prioritize ASEAN member countries in the country's peripheral diplomacy, firmly deepen the strategic partnership with the ASEAN, and firmly cooperate with the ASEAN to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the region, including the South China Sea."

China-ASEAN relations must be long-run and friendly, cooperative and mutually beneficial, and fully embody the importance of the strategic partnership between the two sides, Li added.

Meanwhile, China will continuously support the ASEAN's development,support the construction of the ASEAN community as well as the ASEAN's leading role in the East Asia Cooperation, said Li.

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