Deliver a Great Future for China-ASEAN Relations

Deliver a Great Future for China-ASEAN Relations*

November 22, 2021

Your Majesty Sultan Hassanal of Brunei Darussalam,
Colleagues,

It gives me great pleasure to meet you online to celebrate the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, review what we have accomplished together, summarize experience, and draw up a blueprint for the future.

China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations have come a long way over the past three decades. During these 30 years, we have witnessed the advance of economic globalization and profound changes in the international landscape. During these 30 years, China and ASEAN have seized opportunities and achieved leapfrog development in our relationship. We have cast aside the shadow of the Cold War and ensured stability in our region. We have spearheaded economic integration in East Asia, promoted common development and prosperity, and delivered a better life to a population of over 2 billion people. We have embarked on a path of good-neighborliness and win-win cooperation, taken strides towards a closer community of shared future, and made an important contribution to human progress.

Today, we jointly declare the establishment of a China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership. This is a new milestone in our relations and will inject new impetus into our endeavors to promote peace, stability, prosperity and development both in our region and globally.

Colleagues,

We owe gains in China-ASEAN cooperation over the past 30 years to our unique geographical proximity and cultural affinity, to the fact that we have actively embraced the trend of our times and made the right historic choices.

First, we respect each other, and we have observed the basic norms governing international relations.

We people in the East believe in “not doing to others what we would not have done to ourselves”. Equality and harmonious coexistence are values that we share. We were the first to put forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit. China was the first among ASEAN’s dialogue partners to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. We accommodate each other’s major concerns, and respect each other’s choice of development paths. We have increased understanding and trust through sincere dialogue, and properly handled disagreement and problems by seeking common ground while shelving differences, thus upholding and promoting Asian values.

Second, we have promoted cooperation to deliver win-win outcomes as we pursue peaceful development.

China and ASEAN countries have similar historical experiences and share the same goals of securing stability for our countries and happiness for our peoples. We are firm in maintaining regional peace and stability. We have stayed focused on development, taken the lead in establishing free trade areas, promoted high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and concluded and signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). We have thus promoted integrated development of the region and the wellbeing of our peoples.

Third, we have reached out to help each other in accordance with the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.

China and ASEAN are neighbors, and mutual assistance is our shared tradition. China and Brunei both have proverbs that express the idea of sharing bliss and misfortune together. Our exchanges are as frequent as those between relatives. We value friendship and credibility. We rejoice together in good times, and help each other out in hard times. We have stood with each other through the Asian financial crisis, international financial crisis, Covid-19 and other challenges, thus forging a stronger sense of a community of shared future.

Fourth, we are committed to inclusiveness, mutual learning and open regionalism.

China and ASEAN have diverse ethnic groups, cultures and religions. Respect for diversity and mutual accommodation are in our blood. Drawing inspiration from the East Asian civilization, we have steered regional economic integration with an open mind, advanced ASEAN-led regional cooperation through consultation on an equal footing, and forged friendship that is open and non-exclusive in accordance with the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

The valuable experience we have gained over the past 30 years is the shared asset of China and ASEAN. It has laid the foundations and provided the guidelines for forging our comprehensive strategic partnership. We should doubly cherish, retain, and continue to enrich and develop this experience as we go forward.

Colleagues,

As a Chinese proverb goes, “Just as distance tests a horse’s strength, time reveals a person’s sincerity.” China has been and will remain a good neighbor, good friend and good partner of ASEAN. I wish to reaffirm that ASEAN will always be a high priority in China’s neighborhood diplomacy. China will continue to support ASEAN unity, the ASEAN Community, and ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture, and it will continue to support ASEAN in playing a bigger role both in our region and internationally.

Not long ago, the Communist Party of China convened the Sixth Plenary Session of its 19th Central Committee, during which it conducted a comprehensive review of its major achievements and experience over the century. Full of confidence, we Chinese are marching forward on the new journey towards a modern socialist country in all respects. China’s development will provide more opportunities for and a strong boost to both our region and the wider world. China is ready to work with ASEAN to navigate the global environment, remove interference, share opportunities, and promote common prosperity. We will strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership and make new strides towards a closer China-ASEAN community of shared future.

Here, I call for five steps to deliver a great future for China-ASEAN relations:

First, we should build a peaceful home together.

Without peace, nothing is possible. Maintaining peace is our greatest common interest and the most cherished aspiration of people of all countries. We need to serve as the builders and guardians of peace in the region. We need to pursue dialogue instead of confrontation, build partnerships instead of alliances, and make a concerted effort to address the various negative factors that might threaten or undermine peace. We need to practice true multilateralism and act on the principle that international and regional affairs be handled through discussion among us all. China opposes hegemony and power politics. It pursues long-term and friendly coexistence with its neighbors and plays its part in the common efforts to secure lasting peace in our region. China will never seek hegemony, still less will it abuse smaller countries. It supports ASEAN in its efforts to build a nuclear weapon-free zone, and is prepared to sign the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone at an early date.

Second, we should build a safe and secure home together.

Once again, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that no place on earth is an insulated island enjoying absolute security, and that only security for all can truly ensure security. China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to build a “health shield” for the region. Under this initiative, China will donate an additional 150 million doses of Covid vaccines to ASEAN countries to raise their vaccination rates. It will contribute an additional US$5 million to the Covid-19 ASEAN Response Fund, step up joint vaccine production and technology transfer, and collaborate with ASEAN on research and development of essential medicines, so as to help ASEAN increase its self-reliance. It will support ASEAN in strengthening community-level public health systems and training competent personnel to increase its capacity to respond to major public health emergencies.

In addition to Covid-19, our region faces various traditional and non-traditional security challenges. In addressing these challenges, it is important for us to pursue common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and expand cooperation in areas such as defense, counter-terrorism, joint maritime search, rescue and exercise, countering transnational crime, and disaster management. We should jointly safeguard stability in the South China Sea and make it a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.

Third, we should build a home of prosperity together.

I recently proposed the Global Development Initiative, which is a call for the international community to jointly meet challenges, promote global economic recovery, and accelerate implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This initiative is well-aligned with ASEAN Community Vision 2025, and it can contribute to the efforts of ASEAN countries to meet their development needs. China is ready to provide ASEAN with another US$1.5 billion of development assistance in the next three years to support their fight against Covid-19 and the region’s economic recovery. China is also ready to engage in international development cooperation with ASEAN and launch negotiations on an agreement in this area. We support the establishment of a China-ASEAN Knowledge Network for Development. China will strengthen exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN on poverty reduction to promote balanced and inclusive development.

We need to fully leverage the role of the RCEP, begin work to upgrade the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area at an early date, and promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. We need to expand cooperation in new areas like the digital and green economy and build joint demonstration zones on innovative economic development. China has a vast domestic market, and this market will remain open to ASEAN countries. It is ready to import more quality products from ASEAN countries, including buying up to US$150 billion worth of agricultural products from ASEAN in the next five years. We will promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. China will continue to develop demonstration zones for high-quality Belt and Road international cooperation in industrial capacity and welcomes ASEAN countries’ participation in building a new international land-sea trade corridor. China will launch the China-ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation Enhancing Program, provide 1,000 items of advanced and applicable technology to ASEAN, and support 300 young scientists from ASEAN to come to China for exchanges in the next five years. We propose a China-ASEAN Digital Governance Dialogue to expand innovative application of digital technology.

Fourth, we should build a beautiful home together.

Humanity can only enjoy sustainable development if we work together in harmony with nature. China is ready to open a dialogue with ASEAN on climate response, increase policy communication and experience sharing, and synergize our plans for sustainable development.

We can work together on regional energy transition, discuss the establishment of a China-ASEAN clean energy cooperation center, and increase technology sharing in renewable energies. We need to intensify cooperation on green finance and investment to support regional low-carbon and sustainable development. China is ready to launch the Action Plan on China-ASEAN Green Agriculture to make our countries’ agricultural sector more resilient and sustainable. We can also energize the China-ASEAN Countries Joint Research and Development Center of Marine Science and Technology, build up the Partnership on Blue Economy, and promote sustainable marine development.

Fifth, we should build a home of good will together.

We should advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, increase exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, and fully leverage our region’s unique strength of cultural diversity. We should consider an orderly resumption of flows of people in the post-Covid-19 era and continue to promote exchanges in areas such as culture, tourism, think tanks, the media, and women’s issues, to expand mutual understanding and friendship and form one big family between our peoples. Young people represent the future of both China and ASEAN. China will expand cooperation with ASEAN in vocational education and mutual recognition of diplomas, provide more China-ASEAN Young Leaders Scholarship opportunities, and organize events like youth camps. Next year, China will host both the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and the Hangzhou Asian Games, which will offer good opportunities for further sports exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.

Colleagues,

As an ancient Chinese statesman observed, “Designs for justice prevail, and actions to benefit the people succeed.” Let us keep in mind our peoples’ desire for a better life, and shoulder the mission of our times to safeguard peace and promote development. Let us join hands in building on what we have achieved, work towards a closer China-ASEAN community of shared future, and deliver greater prosperity to both our region and the wider world.

* Speech at the Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)