China working with ASEAN for shared future: China Daily editorial

Detailed summary

For its part, China remains committed to a shared future with ASEAN, to good-neighborliness and friendship, and to resolving differences through dialogue. Other ASEAN countries…

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The 29th China-ASEAN Summit represents an opportunity for both sides to build on past achievements and work together to create a prosperous home, providing greater stability and certainty for peace and development in the region.

After concluding an official visit to Thailand, Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Manila on Sunday for the Monday meeting. Dialogue based on mutual respect and equality helps enhance mutual trust, reduce misunderstandings, and enable China and ASEAN to better manage differences through peaceful consultation. Notably, negotiations between the two sides on a code of conduct in the South China Sea have made some progress.

Additionally, the economic and trade ties between China and ASEAN have benefited the region. In the first 10 months of this year, the total value of trade between China and ASEAN reached 7.68 trillion yuan ($1.15 trillion), marking a 24.2 percent year-on-year increase. China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years as of last year, while ASEAN has been China's biggest trading partner for six successive years.

The robust growth of China-ASEAN trade serves to stabilize the global supply chains, providing strong support for the steady economic development of the region and beyond.

Both sides are expected to seize the opportunity of the meeting to focus on bringing into force the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol as early as possible and the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. These initiatives aim to reduce trade costs, improve customs clearance efficiency, and effectively offset downward pressure from external markets. In particular, the development of the CAFTA 3.0 can help accelerate the shift from market opening to institutional connectivity between China and the ASEAN member states.

Compared to earlier versions, which focused on…

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