Xinhua Review: The Future of China ASEAN Cooperation is More Promising China | Cooperation | Xinhua Review
Jakarta, September 8th (Xinhua) - Question: The future of China ASEAN cooperation is more promising
Xinhua News Agency reporter Lin Hao and Lu Yun
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the proposal to build a closer China ASEAN community with a shared future, a series of East Asian Cooperation Leaders' Meetings were held in Jakarta, Indonesia. China and ASEAN will further consolidate cooperation consensus, strengthen strategic docking, achieve higher levels of economic integration and coordinated development, continuously improve and upgrade cooperation, provide more strong momentum for building a closer China ASEAN community with a shared future, and inject more certainty and positive energy into peace, stability, and lasting prosperity in the Asia Pacific region.
Over the past decade, China and ASEAN have faced complex and ever-changing international situations, adhering to sincere treatment, mutual assistance, mutual benefit, coordination and inclusiveness, and have embarked on a correct path of long-term neighborly friendship, common development and prosperity.
Over the past 10 years, the economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN has continuously deepened. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement has been officially signed, and the dividends are gradually being released. The construction of the China ASEAN Free Trade Area is deepening, and both sides are each other's largest trading partners and important sources and destinations of investment. The bilateral trade volume reached over 970 billion US dollars last year, more than doubling from 10 years ago, and has been the largest trading partner for three consecutive years. The China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 negotiation was launched earlier this year, which is expected to further reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, enhance the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, assist the development of the ASEAN region, and promote regional economic integration.
In the past 10 years, the cooperation between China and ASEAN in jointly building the "the Belt and Road" with high quality has yielded particularly fruitful results. A series of landmark projects, such as the China Laos Railway, the Jingang Expressway and the Ya'an Wanzhou High speed Railway, have been completed in succession, which is effectively alleviating the development bottlenecks, such as insufficient investment in regional infrastructure and relatively lagging regional connectivity. Both sides have always adhered to the principle of consultation, joint construction, and sharing, achieving mutual benefit and win-win results. The Chinese side said that it would actively promote the "the Belt and Road" initiative and ASEAN India Pacific Vision for mutually beneficial cooperation.
Currently, China ASEAN economic and trade cooperation is constantly improving and upgrading. The China ASEAN Leaders' Meeting passed the outcome document on deepening cooperation in fields such as agriculture, e-commerce, and technological innovation. In recent years, China and ASEAN countries have deeply integrated their industrial and supply chains, and cooperation in the digital economy and green economy is flourishing. Many ASEAN experts have stated that China and ASEAN countries are collaborating on industrial chains based on complementary advantages, and the industrial and supply chain systems being constructed will become important components of the global industrial chain. Chinese electric vehicles are highly welcomed in ASEAN countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, and cooperation in related fields brings new opportunities for the development of ASEAN countries.
China and ASEAN countries are connected by mountains and rivers, and their traditional friendship has a long history. As the first country outside the region to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, China marks its 20th anniversary this year. China regards ASEAN as a priority direction for foreign exchanges, supports the construction of the ASEAN community, and supports ASEAN's central position in regional cooperation. China was the first among all countries to establish a strategic partnership with ASEAN, and in 2021, it was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership, fully reflecting the strategic mutual trust between the two sides.
China and ASEAN are inseparable and inseparable good neighbors, good brothers, and good partners. In the COVID-19, China and ASEAN worked together, and the relationship between the two sides was further sublimated. Since the end of the epidemic, personnel exchanges and exchanges in various fields between the two sides have accelerated. The warm scene of high-ranking officials from ASEAN countries such as Thailand warmly welcoming Chinese tourists at the airport fully reflects the deep friendship between the two sides.
Both China and ASEAN advocate for adhering to true multilateralism and open regionalism. In the face of individual countries attempting to "decouple and break links" and build "small courtyards and high walls" in the local area, ASEAN countries have clearly expressed their unwillingness to choose sides and stand in line, and not to be pawns in the game of great powers. Indonesian President Joko stated at this series of East Asian Cooperation Leaders' Meetings that ASEAN countries have no intention of becoming proxies and will be committed to working with all parties to achieve regional peace and prosperity.
China and ASEAN are the world's second and fifth largest economies, respectively. Both sides have mutual development opportunities and enormous potential for cooperation. They should work together to build an economic growth center, promote cooperation in emerging industries, maintain regional peace and tranquility, and expand cultural exchanges. As long as both sides adhere to the right path, no matter what storms they may experience in the future, the cooperation between China and ASEAN will be unbreakable, stable and far-reaching, promoting greater development for both sides.
Looking ahead to the future, China is willing to uphold the original aspiration of unity and self-improvement with ASEAN countries, uphold the spirit of cooperation and win-win, build a common home of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty, and friendship, and continuously move towards a closer China ASEAN community with a shared future. The cooperation between China and ASEAN will continue to deepen, and the future is more promising.