China-ASEAN ties ‘successful model’: Xi
Trade bond, political trust growing ever closer as region fends off US meddling
With President Xi Jinping crediting China-ASEAN relationship as “the most successful and vibrant model for cooperation” in the Asia-Pacific, the bilateral relations between the two economies will navigate toward a diamond decade after 10 years of “golden era” – during which China and ASEAN had successfully managed differences and built political trust, in particular on stabilizing the South China Sea (SCS).
Though with constant pressure and disturbance from the US, ASEAN holds hands tightly with China with increasingly stronger ties in economy and strengthened political mutual trust, observers said.
From Singapore to the Philippines, more ASEAN countries refuse to take sides between
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the two powers, and fewer are willing to join the “China-bashing” alliance.
The solid ties, combined with the signing of the world’s largest trade pact, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), will help erect a business circle that generates $18 trillion GDP, or roughly 16 percent of the global economy, helping the region handle the COVID-19 pandemic and rising protectionism.
Within the circle, trade and investment will flow more freely, industrial chains will undergo restructuring to fend off risks, and a new international logistics route will be formed to make the two economies further integrate.
The cooperation potential in the public health sector is very promising as China could provide its neighbors with rich experiences.
Xi said on Friday that the China-ASEAN relationship has grown into the most successful and vibrant model for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and an exemplary effort in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
He delivered a speech via video conference at the opening ceremony of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit on Friday in Nanning, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
From ‘golden era’ to ‘diamond decade’
In Nanning, which is dubbed as a frontier for China-ASEAN cooperation, it is easy to see rambutan from Thailand and eggfruits from Myanmar when local residents walk into supermarkets.
In 2020, ASEAN took over the EU to become China’s largest trading partner. In the first 10 months of 2020, bilateral trade volume reached 3.79 trillion yuan, up 7 percent year-on-year. China’s investment in the bloc increased 70 percent in the first three quarters of 2020 from last year.
Under RCEP, China and ASEAN countries will reduce negative list items for each other, laying the foundation for a more free flow of investment – based on which the region’s industrial chain can integrate and reorganize to prevent the risks of a lengthy process disrupted by the pandemic, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
As the China-ASEAN relations develop in parallel with the issues of the South China Sea, the past 10 years also mark a process of the two economies overcoming geopolitical barriers to reach a peaceful solution with shared responsibility.
In recent years, China and ASEAN have established an inter-governmental consultation and negotiation mechanism to manage SCS disputes.
“History shows us the common interest linking common culture among us, and the feeling of brotherhood always prevails,” General Chairman of Indonesia’s Great Indonesia Movement Party Sugiono said on Thursday at a dialogue with party officials from ASEAN countries.
To solidify mutual trust, it is of vital importance for China to strengthen communication with ASEAN countries at this moment, so as to counter the US forming allies and stirring up disputes in the region, Xu added.