China-ASEAN cooperation yields fruitful results

Editor's note: Gu Jiayun is vice dean of the School of Asian Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. It has been translated from Chinese and edited for brevity and clarity.

Over more than three decades, China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have fostered practical cooperation across various fields, advancing the establishment of the ASEAN Community and promoting regional economic integration. The China-ASEAN partnership has become one of the most successful models of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. 

According to data from China's Ministry of Commerce, the bilateral trade between China and ASEAN countries, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore, has exceeded $100 billion each. China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for four straight years. Together accounting for over one-fifth of the global economy, China and ASEAN serve as a vital engine for global and regional economic recovery. The fruitful results of China-ASEAN cooperation are attributable to collective efforts in both "hard connectivity" and "soft connectivity."

Collaboration in "hard connectivity" offers an infrastructure guarantee. Chongqing and Singapore function as the "dual hubs" of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor jointly built by China and ASEAN. By integrating various methods of transportation, such as rail, road, air, and water transportation, the new corridor has connected western China closely with the ASEAN region. In the three years since the China-Laos Railway commenced operations, its daily passenger traffic has increased from 20,000 to a peak of 100,000. Linked with the New Western Land-Sea Corridor and the China Railway Express, the China-Laos Railway's cross-border cargo network now extends to 19 countries and regions. The opening of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway has significantly reduced travel time between Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, and the Sihanoukville Port. Over the past two years, total traffic volume of the expressway has exceeded 10 million vehicles, averaging 13,000 vehicles daily.

Beyond the construction of land routes, China and ASEAN have also worked together on "hard connectivity" projects in areas such as port shipping, air transportation, and the building of energy pipelines, effectively improving the business environment of industrial parks. Economic zones such as the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, the Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone, the Long Jiang Industrial Park, and the Vientiane Saysettha Development Zone have attracted numerous enterprises, actively boosting local employment and driving industrial upgrades in ASEAN countries.

Collaboration in "soft connectivity" provides support by improving institutions and standards. The implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in January 2022 marked the official launch of the world's largest free trade area. Fifteen members, including China and ASEAN countries, have leveraged the RCEP platform to further open markets and advance the liberalization and facilitation of regional trade and investment. In October 2024, leaders of China and ten ASEAN countries announced the substantial conclusion of Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) upgrade negotiations. This signifies a consensus on building a more advanced and open version of the FTA between China and ASEAN. Chapters on technical standards, regulations, and qualification assessment procedures under FTA 3.0 represent the highest level among its member states, creating favorable conditions for deeper interconnectivity of rules and standards between China and ASEAN. For an extended period, Chinese enterprises have applied Chinese standards in overseas business operations in collaboration with ASEAN countries. In particular, Chinese and ASEAN standards are increasingly merging and innovating in fields like digital economy and green economy.

The year 2025 marks the conclusion of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the 15th anniversary of the China-ASEAN FTA, and the first year of the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN FTA. As the dividends of RCEP policies continue to be released and the construction of China-ASEAN FTA upgrades in quality, China and ASEAN will pool greater efforts together, jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade, and inject new dynamism and vitality into economic recovery, sustainable development, and shared prosperity across Asia and the world.