I feel very honored to be designated as China’s first permanent
ambassador to ASEAN. Since I took
office in August — and since the Chinese mission opened officially in September
— I have called on the leaders of the ASEAN Secretariat and the permanent
representatives to ASEAN, exchanged ideas and views with experts at think tanks
and attended many meetings and symposiums on mutual cooperation in various areas.
My understanding of China and
ASEAN’s relationship was deepened by these exchanges and involvements. While
being quite encouraged by what we have achieved so far, I face a tougher task
to bring our relationship to a higher level.
China and ASEAN opened a new
chapter in their relations in 1991 with the establishment of a dialogue
relationship. Over the past 21 years, China-ASEAN relations have taken a
historic leap from the dialogue to forging a strategic partnership that shares
extensive common interests.
The leaders of China and ASEAN’s
member nations have visited each other like family members. On major
international and regional issues, the two sides have maintained close
communications and coordination and worked together to safeguard the interests
of developing countries.
Committed to common development,
China and ASEAN have made tremendous effort to strengthen economic cooperation.
Two-way trade between China and ASEAN has surged from US$7 billion in 1991 to
$362.8 billion last year, making for an average annual growth rate of over 20
percent. China has been ASEAN’s largest trading partner for three consecutive
years and ASEAN became China’s third-largest trading partner last year. We are
also major investment partners, with two-way investment growing steadily.
Cooperation between China and
ASEAN is comprehensive, multi-tiered and wide-ranging, covering over 20 areas,
including science and technology, culture, agriculture, education, poverty
reduction, disaster prevention and relief, and combating transnational crimes.
The two sides have set up 12
ministerial meeting mechanisms and have established the China-ASEAN Expo, the
China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, the ASEAN-China Center, the
China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center, the China-ASEAN Education
Cooperation Week and other cooperative platforms.
All these figures and facts prove
that China and ASEAN are good neighbors enjoying solidarity, friendship and
mutual trust.
The friendship and mutually
beneficial cooperation between China and ASEAN have not only brought about
economic and social development in our own countries and delivered enormous
benefits to our peoples, but also contributed significantly to steady economic
development and stability in East Asia and Asia as a whole.
With economic globalization and
regional integration developing in greater depth, the destinies of China and
ASEAN have never been so closely linked as they are today. Now, as the
international financial crisis is about to enter its fifth year, the current
global economic and financial scene still gives us no reason for optimism.
East Asia, which has been the
most dynamic region in the world because of its sustained and rapid economic
growth and social stability for the last several years, is at a crucial stage
of development.
As strategic partners, China and
ASEAN need to size up the situation and work together to expand business and
financial cooperation, promote connectivity, and deepen social, cultural and
people-to-people exchanges so as to enhance self-generating dynamism for the
sustained development of the region.
Against this backdrop, the
importance of the upcoming 15th China-ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,
cannot be overstated. It offers a good opportunity for both China and ASEAN to
initiate new ideas in a trying time. The Chinese side is willing to explore
with ASEAN member nations specific measures to deepen cooperation in the
aforementioned fields. We hope that the summit can continue to raise the flag
of solidarity, promote development and cooperation, and create more consensus
on strengthening political trust and promoting economic and social cooperation
in a full-fledged manner.
There has been a lot of focus on
the South China Sea in recent months. Frankly, I think that this issue has been
exaggerated at the expense of the positive side of China-ASEAN relations.
China’s position on the South
China Sea issue has been clear-cut and consistent. The issue is not between China
and ASEAN, but one between China and the claimants. China has all along stood
for the resolution of disputes in a peaceful manner through friendly
consultation between claimants based on respect for historical fact and
universally recognized international law.
Since the establishment of
dialogue relations, China and ASEAN member nations have overcome many
difficulties and challenges hand in hand, from tackling the Asian financial
crisis to addressing the impact of the international financial crisis to the
Indian Ocean tsunami to responding to the SARS epidemic.
I am fully confident that our
peoples and our leaders have the wisdom to properly address this issue. The
relationship between China and ASEAN won’t be derailed because of the disputes
in the South China Sea.
China welcomes a stronger ASEAN
and supports ASEAN’s centrality in East Asian cooperation. I’m sure that so
long as we keep our destiny firmly in our own hands, and move ahead in the
direction that we have set for ourselves, China-ASEAN cooperation will enjoy a
bright future of increasingly solid and extensive development.
The writer is China’s ambassador
to ASEAN.
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