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VERA FILES FACT CHECK: China NOT part of ASEAN

WHAT WAS CLAIMED

China was kicked out of ASEAN

OUR VERDICT

False:

China is not among the 10 member states of ASEAN: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

By VERA FILES

Oct 5, 2023

2-minute read
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A YouTube channel posted a video falsely claiming that China was kicked out of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN). This is impossible.

China is not among the 10 member states of ASEAN: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

The channel posted the erroneous video on Sept. 8, which bore the title:

CHINA TINANGGAL NA SA ASEAN! GRABE KUMAMPE LAHAT KAY PBBM! CHINA NAPAHIYA SOBRA! BUO MUNDO NAGULAT (China removed from ASEAN! Everyone went in favor of PBBM! China was really humiliated! The entire world was surprised).”

The untrue claim appeared days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addressed on Sept. 6 Chinese Premier Li Qiang, ASEAN members, and observer Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta during the 26th ASEAN-China Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In the summit, Marcos said the Philippines upholds its commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in settling maritime disputes. He also reported progress being made in negotiations with China regarding a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

China, along with South Korea and Japan, is part of the ASEAN Plus Three, a cooperation between ASEAN and the three East Asian countries. Since 1997, China has attended separate summits with ASEAN to discuss strategic partnerships and plans. 

The erroneous video posted by YouTube channel BALITA NI JUAN (created on Aug. 16, 2021) garnered 81,370 views, 1,900 likes and 347 comments.

Have you seen any dubious claims, photos, memes, or online posts that you want us to verify? Fill out this reader request form or send it to VERA, the truth bot on Viber.

(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)

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