Closer China-ASEAN ties critical for peace, development amid global uncertainties

VIENTIANE -- In an era marked by increasing uncertainties and instabilities in the global economy, governance and international order, the importance of cooperation and development in East Asia has never been more pronounced.

During the leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation held in Vientiane, Laos this week, countries in the region widely called for strengthening cooperation, promoting common development, and working together to maintain the hard-earned peace and stability in the region.

At the 27th ASEAN-China Summit held on Thursday, China announced a substantial conclusion for the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, providing an institutional guarantee for the two sides to jointly build a hyper-scale market, a significant step toward leading economic integration in East Asia.

China and ASEAN, together accounting for a quarter of the world's population, have been each other's largest trading partners in the last four years. In 2023, China's investment in ASEAN increased by as much as 44.6 percent, while accumulated two-way investment between China and ASEAN countries has surpassed 380 billion U.S. dollars.

In November 2021, at a special summit commemorating the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping and ASEAN leaders jointly announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Under such strategic guidance, significant strides have been made in building a China-ASEAN community with a shared future. The high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative has yielded fruitful results, further strengthening the ties between China and ASEAN countries.

The China-Laos Railway has become Laos' first modern railway, greatly promoting regional connectivity. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway signifies Indonesia's official entry into the high-speed rail era. The completion of infrastructure projects such as Cambodia's Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, and numerous modern airports and ports have significantly enhanced regional transportation capacity, injecting new vitality into economic development.

Also, cooperation between China and ASEAN in new quality productive forces is gaining strong momentum and has broad prospects. At the 21st China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China's leading advantages in green energy and the digital economy, and especially in electric vehicles, solar batteries and lithium-ion batteries, attracted a large number of international partners seeking collaboration.

Currently, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with protectionism and unilateralism on the rise. However, peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit are the common aspirations of people in the Asian region.

Upholding true multilateralism and open regionalism, China and ASEAN are making joint efforts to inject strong impetus and confidence into global economy and a multipolar world.

China has always believed that the Asia-Pacific is a hub of peaceful development and has supported ASEAN's centrality, endorsing the advancement of regional security cooperation in the "ASEAN Way."

As Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith said at the opening ceremony of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related summits, cooperation, guided by the "ASEAN Way," resonates with the unique characteristics of Southeast Asia to maintain and promote peace, stability, and sustainable socio-economic development within the region and beyond.

China and ASEAN are inseparable good neighbors, good brothers, and good partners. Looking to the future, China is willing to join forces with ASEAN countries to steer the development of East Asian mechanisms in the right direction, advance practical cooperation in various fields, and promote the building of a peaceful, prosperous, and beautiful shared homeland.