BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Xu Ningning elaborated on the top 10 concerns of China-ASEAN cooperation in 2023.
China News Financial Reporter Liu Wenwen.
Xu Ningning, Chairman of the RCEP Industrial Cooperation Committee and China's Chief ASEAN Business Expert, recently made a year-end analysis on the focus of China-ASEAN cooperation in 2023. He pointed out that in 2023, the consensus on multilateral and bilateral cooperation between China and ASEAN will continue to expand, the comprehensive strategic partnership will be further consolidated, and the cooperation between the two sides will achieve new development, with ten main concerns:
The first is to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future. The year 2023 marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Vietnam, and both countries regard mutual relations as a priority direction of their respective foreign policies and the development of each other as their own development opportunities. The top leaders of the two parties have established solid political mutual trust and deep comradeship, which has provided important strategic guidance for the steer of bilateral relations.
The second is to promote the construction of the "five homes". The year 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the 10th anniversary of China's proposal to practice the concept of amity, sincerity, benefit and inclusiveness. In 2023, the two sides have achieved important results in jointly building the "Five Homelands" of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty and friendship, providing important practice for the construction of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
The third is to upgrade the quality of cooperative relations. In 2023, China and Cambodia issued the Joint Statement on Building a China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future in the New Era, China and Singapore issued the Joint Statement on Establishing an All-round and High-Quality Forward-Looking Partnership, China and Indonesia issued the Joint Statement on Deepening All-round Strategic Cooperation, and China and Laos finalized the Action Plan of the Communist Party of China and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party on Building a China-Laos Community with a Shared Future (2024-2028), and China and Thailand** A joint press communiqué was issued to deepen cooperation. China-ASEAN relations have shown a positive trend of upgrading quality.
Fourth, deepen the Belt and Road Initiative. 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. The landmark project of the "Belt and Road" and the first high-speed railway in ASEAN, the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia, have been successfully put into operation, and a number of major "Belt and Road" cooperation projects have been accelerated, completed or started. In the Belt and Road Initiative, China-ASEAN cooperation has played an exemplary and exemplary role.
Fifth, we need to enhance cooperation and expand consensus. At the 26th China-ASEAN (10+1) Leaders' Meeting, the two sides reached a series of consensus on enhancing cooperation, including: striving to complete the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3 by 20240 version of the talks, jointly implement the ASEAN-China Work Plan on Non-traditional Security (2024-2028), strengthen cooperation on climate change, and jointly host the 2024 ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges.
Sixth, institutional opening-up promotes cooperation. In 2023, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will come into force for all member countries, and the China-ASEAN Free Zone** 3Version 0 negotiations were launched, and the China-Singapore Freedom Agreement was further upgraded. The institutional opening of the mutual opening of the market has consolidated the industrial chain of the two sides, promoted the construction of a new industrial chain and the development of investment cooperation, and formed a stronger productive force in the China-ASEAN region.
Seventh, economic ties have become stronger. In 2023, China and ASEAN** will increase their share of their respective total external value, and both sides will play an important supporting role in their respective external markets. The economic ties between the two sides have become stronger.
Eighth, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation has developed at a high level. In 2023, the Fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting was held. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation is the first new type of regional cooperation mechanism aimed at building a community with a shared future, and is jointly discussed, jointly built and shared by the six countries in the basin.
Ninth, agricultural cooperation benefits people's livelihood. 2023 is the China-ASEAN Year of Cooperation on Agricultural Development and Food Security. In this theme year, the two sides further strengthened communication and coordination on agricultural policies, actively carried out joint research and development and demonstration and promotion of agricultural science and technology, and held a series of activities to promote cooperation.
Ten is the role of the platform of the Expo and the summit. In 2023, the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit were successfully held. Xu Ningning said that China pursues the policy of neighborly diplomacy of goodwill and partnership with its neighbors, and practices the concept of amity, sincerity, benefit and tolerance. 2024 is the "China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges", and I believe that in 2024, the two sides will work together to achieve higher quality cooperation and win-win development through firm confidence in cooperation, adhere to cooperation goals and joint efforts. (ENDS).