JAKARTA, Sept. 7 -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday that East Asia is fully aware of the difficulties of development, the necessity of openness and the value of peace.

While addressing the 18th East Asia Summit, Li noted that in recent decades, East Asia has seized the opportunities of the times amid waves of economic globalization, firmly embarked on the right path of open development and win-win cooperation, and thus become an important engine for world development.

He added that the region also well understands that unity means prosperity and division entails decline.