NANNING -- Although China has found it increasingly difficult to meet its annual
trade growth targets, its exports and imports with the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations may give it a chance to improve its performance.
An exhibition hall at the ongoing
ninth China-ASEAN Expo, with floor space equivalent to several football fields,
is filled with crowds of people busy bargaining for deals. Goods on display
range from construction equipment and furniture to jewelry and handicrafts.
The bustling fair reflects recent
customs data showing a 7.7-percent increase in China-ASEAN trade in the first
eight months of the year. Although it was lower than the annual rate of more
than 10 percent seen in past years, it outpaced China's combined foreign trade
growth of 6.2 percent in the same period and stood in stark contrast with
China's contracting trade with the EU and the US.
The robust China-ASEAN trade
figures is particularly soothing at a time when the world is grappling with a
longer-than-expected economic downturn. Upbeat trade, more importantly, brings
consistent income and jobs for people living in ASEAN countries and China.
The robust and consistent trade
growth demonstrates that China and ASEAN not only share long borders, but also
enjoy common benefits that can help them rise above disputes.
The booming trade can be
attributed to the two-year-old China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, the world's largest
FTA for developing countries. By the end of August, China had reduced tariffs
for ASEAN imports by 50 billion yuan through their free trade agreement.
In the past decade, bilateral
trade grew at an annual rate of 20 percent to $362.9 billion. China has kept
its place as ASEAN's largest trading partner for three years and ASEAN is
China's third-largest trading partner after the EU and US.
An expansion of the China-ASEAN
FTA is in the cards. Hong Kong applied for participation in the FTA in 2011 and
preparations for negotiations are under way. ASEAN has a more aggressive plan,
integrating its five bilateral FTA partners -- India, Japan, the Republic of
Korea, Australia and New Zealand -- with China and ASEAN to form the world's
largest FTA.
If carried out smoothly, regional
trade is expected to expand significantly and will serve as a key engine to
shore up regional economic growth and protect it from outside turmoil.
The people of China and ASEAN
member countries have more to share than economic benefits. As neighbors, they
have centuries' worth of exchanges in culture and arts. People-to-people contact
has, in fact, laid the foundation for China-ASEAN relations.
Undeniably, disputes remain
between China and ASEAN regarding the South China Sea. However, maintaining
peace and stability in the sea remains the common responsibility of all parties
concerned.
Disputes will never replace
cooperation and mutual trust. China has always committed itself to narrowing
differences through dialogue and consultations, as it knows friendly relations
are always valuable.
China and ASEAN should seize this
historic chance to set aside their differences and expand common prosperity,
hand-in-hand.
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