Cooperation remains dominant theme in China-ASEAN ties while talks with
some nations on South China Sea will go on
Editor's note: The following is
Vice-Foreign Minister Fu Ying's recent interview with Xinhua News Agency on
China-ASEAN relations.
Q1. More than 20 years have passed since China and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations established a dialogue partnership. China has often
characterized China-ASEAN cooperation as mutually beneficial in nature. Could
you list some examples of such mutually beneficial cooperation?
Fu: China-ASEAN relations have
come a long way in the 21 years since the start of their dialogue partnership
in 1991. All through these years, China and ASEAN have remained committed to
the spirit of good neighborliness, friendship, and mutual benefit despite changes
in the international situation.
China-ASEAN political relations
have made much progress. Of all ASEAN dialogue partners, China is the first to
sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and the first to
establish a strategic partnership with ASEAN. The recent establishment of
China's permanent ASEAN mission in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the appointment of
Yang Xiuping as China's first resident ambassador to ASEAN will enhance China's
interaction with ASEAN at the institutional level.
Trade and economic cooperation
between the two sides has become ever closer. The largest free trade area (FTA)
among developing countries has been established. China-ASEAN cooperation now
covers more than 20 fields, and the first China-ASEAN action plan for strategic
partnership has been smoothly implemented. The two sides have also set up
platforms for exchanges and cooperation such as the China-ASEAN Expo and the
ASEAN-China Center.
China-ASEAN exchanges in
socio-cultural and people-to-people areas have been thriving. In 2011, the
exchange of personnel between the two sides reached 13.63 million person times.
About 50,000 students from ASEAN countries are currently studying in China,
while 70,000 Chinese students are studying in ASEAN countries.
The two sides are working to
realize the goals of 15 million personnel exchanges by 2015 and 100,000
students in each other's countries by 2020. China and ASEAN have also made
joint efforts to tackle the two financial crises and a series of natural
disasters and outbreaks of infectious diseases.
China has been consistently
dedicated to common development and mutual benefit with ASEAN. While
maintaining economic and social development at home, China has increased
support to ASEAN community building by setting up the China-ASEAN Cooperation
Fund, Asian regional cooperation fund, China-ASEAN Fund on Investment
Cooperation and China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund.
China has tried to help ASEAN to
realize food security through programs like the China-ASEAN action plan on
comprehensive food productivity enhancement. To date, China has provided
training for tens of thousands of ASEAN personnel.
On the other hand, ASEAN has
contributed to China's reform, opening-up and social progress. It supported
China's accession to the World Trade Organization and increased investment in
China, including through setting up industrial parks in China.
The development of China-ASEAN
relations serves the interest of peoples on both sides. It also contributes to
peace, stability and prosperity in East Asia and the world at large, and to the
realization of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, setting a good
example of friendship and win-win cooperation among developing countries.
Q2. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement between China and ASEAN
that started their free trade process. What progress have the two sides made in
their economic and trade relations? What measures will China take to work with ASEAN
to maintain continued economic and social development in the region?
Fu: China-ASEAN economic and
trade cooperation has been booming. The bilateral trade volume rose from less
than $10 billion in 1991 to $362.8 billion in 2011, representing an average
annual increase of more than 20 percent. The launch of the China-ASEAN Free
Trade Area in 2010 has, in particular, greatly facilitated economic and trade
cooperation between the two sides.
China has become the largest
trading partner of ASEAN, and ASEAN the third largest for China. Their
cooperation in mutual investment and finance is also showing strong momentum of
growth. By the end of 2011, the total volume of mutual investment between the
two sides had reached $85.1 billion, while fast growing Chinese investment in
ASEAN reached $15.1 billion. In recent years, China-ASEAN economic cooperation
has expanded into areas like high technology, green industry, circular economy
and sustainable development.
In 1997, China worked with ASEAN
to tackle the Asian financial crisis. China persisted in not devaluing the
renminbi, thus contributing to regional economic and financial stability.
During the recent global financial crisis in 2008, China took a series of
initiatives to support sustained and healthy economic development in ASEAN.
These include the establishment of the China-ASEAN Fund on Investment
Cooperation and the provision of $25 billion credit support to ASEAN.
The two sides also signed an
agreement on the multilateralization of the Chiang Mai Initiative, and made
efforts to make it more effective.
As the world economy faces more
downward pressure, the impact on our region has become more serious. China will
continue to work with ASEAN in the spirit of mutual help and mutual benefit to
address this challenge by improving FTA development, facilitating greater trade
and investment, exploring the market demand in the region and expanding mutual
investment. China will also send trade promotion missions to ASEAN member
states, set up ASEAN commodity exhibition centers in Nanning, the Guangxi
Zhuang autonomous region, and Yiwu, Zhejiang province, to increase imports from
ASEAN.
The Ninth China-ASEAN Expo and
Business and Investment Summit will open on Sept 21 this year to showcase
well-known brands and companies as well as unique goods of ASEAN member states
in a series of trade promotion events. These steps are being taken to advance
China-ASEAN cooperation in the light of recent developments by giving full play
to ASEAN's strengths in resources and industries.
Q3. In recent years, China has stressed the need to enhance connectivity
with ASEAN. Could you update us on the progress of China-ASEAN connectivity and
major initiatives for the next stage?
Fu: Achieving connectivity within
ASEAN and between China and ASEAN is vital for our efforts to narrow the
regional development gap, improve competitiveness, and accelerate regional
integration in East Asia. In recent years, leaders of both sides have
repeatedly emphasized the need to advance connectivity as a key priority area
for China-ASEAN cooperation. This has led to the formulation of a Strategic
Plan for China-ASEAN Transport Cooperation and major progress in China-ASEAN
connectivity, such as in terms of the Kunming-Bangkok Highway, the Trans-Asian
Railway, more flight links, and the beginning of maritime connectivity
cooperation.
China has made much effort to
build the Kunming-Bangkok Highway. Apart from completing our own section with
high quality, we provided assistance for the construction of the Laos section
and the cross-Mekong Chiang Khong-Huay Xai Bridge. Last year, the foreign
ministers of China and ASEAN jointly inspected the Kunming-Bangkok Highway, and
held a meeting with the theme of connectivity in Kunming.
In addition, China has also
actively supported the ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity and participated in
connectivity projects, including road, railway, water, electricity,
communications and other fields in various ASEAN member states.
As ASEAN's close neighbor and
strategic partner, China is committed to comprehensive, in-depth and strategic
connectivity between the two sides. China is preparing to establish a
China-ASEAN Committee on Connectivity Cooperation. In addition to connectivity
on land, China is also ready to promote maritime connectivity with ASEAN by
making full use of the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund and enhancing port
and maritime transport cooperation between the two sides.
To that end, China will host a
seminar on China-ASEAN maritime connectivity strategy in the second half of
this year. Efforts will also be made to promote institutional and
"soft" connectivity by improving trade facilitation, simplifying
customs procedures, and strengthening inspection and quarantine. We are also
looking to cooperate with ASEAN in increasing investment, cultivating
partnerships between central and local governments and between the public and
private sectors to facilitate joint financing of key projects.
Q4. The 45th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting held recently in Phnom
Penh failed to issue a joint report. What is your comment on some people's
claim that Cambodia's support of China during the meeting was to blame for this
failure?
Fu: The reason why the 45th ASEAN
Foreign Ministers Meeting was not able to issue a joint report was because
certain ASEAN claimants in the South China Sea tried to impose their own stands
on the issue on ASEAN. Such acts go against the important consensus reached by
China and ASEAN member states in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in
the South China Sea, and were opposed by most ASEAN member states during recent
meetings.
It is understood that during the
meetings many ASEAN countries tried very hard at communication, coordination
and persuasion. Yet the insistence of certain countries to stick to their own
positions meant that eventually ASEAN was not able to issue the joint report.
This was not a situation the Chinese side had wanted to see.
China's sovereignty over Nansha
Islands and their adjacent waters has solid and abundant historical and legal
basis. China has advocated shelving disputes and going for common development
in the South China Sea pending a final resolution. The South China Sea is not
an issue between ASEAN and China, but rather between China and relevant ASEAN
countries. China has consistently stood for resolving the issue through
friendly negotiations between sovereign countries directly concerned on the
basis of historical facts and universally recognized international law.
The DOC signed by China and ASEAN
countries a decade ago clearly says that parties should "resolve their
territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, ... through friendly
consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned".
China hopes that all ASEAN member
states will join China in working for a comprehensive and effective
implementation of the DOC. This will contribute to mutual trust and cooperation
between China and ASEAN, to peace and stability in the South China Sea, and to
the healthy and stable growth of China-ASEAN relations.
China is also ready to enter into
discussions with ASEAN member states on a code of conduct on the South China
Sea when conditions are ripe. As for the issues between China and the
Philippines and Vietnam respectively, China is committed to properly managing
and tackling them through friendly consultations and not letting these
differences affect the larger interest of bilateral relations and China-ASEAN
relations as a whole.
In the 21 years since the
establishment of their dialogue partnership, China and ASEAN have seen healthy,
stable and fast development of their relations, thanks to their joint adherence
to the spirit of mutual respect and win-win principle. This has not only
benefited China and ASEAN, but also made important contributions to peace in
and stability and prosperity of East Asia.
As the global economy remains
overshadowed by the global financial crisis, and the regional economy faces
heightened challenges, China and ASEAN have more reasons to focus on
development and cooperation. China remains committed to working together with
ASEAN to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability and promote sustained
and healthy development of China-ASEAN relations.
Q5. What are the prospects for China-ASEAN relations? What are the
priority areas for cooperation between the two sides?
Fu: It has been China's foreign
policy priority to strengthen good-neighborly friendship and mutually
beneficial cooperation with ASEAN. As the world economic outlook remains
uncertain, China and ASEAN have the common task of promoting regional economic
integration and enhancing internally driven growth in East Asia. As close
neighbors and strategic partners, China and ASEAN should work together in the
spirit of solidarity and good-neighborly friendship to strengthen strategic
communication and practical cooperation and advance our shared interest.
Under the joint efforts of both
sides, China-ASEAN relations have entered a stage of mature and comprehensive
development in broader areas and at higher levels than ever before. The
China-ASEAN Commemorative Summit marking the 20th anniversary of dialogue
relations held last year and the Joint Statement of the Summit set out a
comprehensive plan for the development of our relations, including a series of
medium- to long-term goals of cooperation between the two sides.
China is ready to work with ASEAN
to enhance mutual trust, implement the second five-year Plan of Action and
strengthen cooperation in Free Trade Agreement, connectivity, maritime
cooperation, and social and cultural fields. This will not only help raise
China-ASEAN strategic partnership to a new level, but also make China-ASEAN
cooperation better serve the interest of sustainable development of both sides,
bring more benefits to our peoples and contribute more to peace, stability and
prosperity of our region.
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