Over the years, China and ASEAN have advanced forward hand in hand; our interactions have served as the most successful and dynamic model of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, and a vivid example of the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
China regards ASEAN as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and a key region in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. ASEAN countries, on their part, see in China a trustworthy and close partner. The two sides accommodate each other’s major concerns, and respect each other’s development paths, which has further solidified our strategic mutual trust.
The past year has seen us making new strides in building a China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Our political mutual trust has deepened; our traditional friendship has grown stronger; and our practical cooperation has expanded. All these have brought tangible benefits to our peoples.
Our markets are opening up still wider. The accelerated implementation of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements in recent years has made the flow and allocation of production factors more efficient.
The super-sized markets are the greatest underpinning for our economic prosperity, and strengthening market connectivity is an important direction for our further cooperation.
I am confident that closer and better integration and connectivity between the two major markets of China and ASEAN will result in greater economies of scale, industrial agglomeration and spillover effects of development.
Today, the China-ASEAN relationship has gone far beyond the bilateral scope and taken on great significance for Asia and the world at large. President Xi Jinping pointed out that China will continue to honor the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and join hands with regional countries to build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, amicable and harmonious Asian home. China would like to work side by side with ASEAN to pursue progress and development in solidarity and jointly create a better Asia in the future.
Over the past year, new progress has been made in ASEAN Plus Three (APT) cooperation on all fronts. Trade and investment remain vibrant, and new drivers of economy keep expanding. At the same time, it must be noted that our development is still confronted with factors of instability and uncertainty. In particular, external forces have frequently made interference and caused disruptions, and even attempted to bring bloc confrontation and geopolitical conflicts into Asia.
We need to better apply the Oriental Wisdom. Asia is home to a galaxy of ancient civilizations. Through centuries of practice, we have developed distinctive insights for navigating world affairs. Having learned that one hand cannot clap while many hands make light work, we are more steadfast in choosing unity and cooperation in the face of growing risks and challenges; having learned that the ocean is vast because it admits all rivers, we are able to see clearly that protectionism and unilateralism lead nowhere while openness and inclusiveness are the right path; having learned that amity and good-neighborliness are invaluable to a country, we are more proactive in promoting understanding and harmony through dialogue and goodwill to address differences, disagreements and conflicts between countries. Such profound Oriental Wisdom nourishes us and empowers us to tackle challenges and pursue development together.