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Asean and China are neighbors and each other's largest trading partner. Amid the global geopolitical and economic impact, ASEAN's response has attracted much attention. In this connection, Xu Ningning, Executive Chairman of the China-Asean Business Council and Chairman of the Industrial Cooperation Committee of the RCEP, said that ASEAN is seeking development through cooperation to cope with the situation.

Xu Ningning said that over the years, ASEAN has actively carried out multi-faceted diplomacy and gradually enhanced its international status. In November 2022, three major meetings -- the East Asia Cooperation Leaders' Summit, the G20 Leaders' Summit and the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting -- were held successively in the ASEAN region, enhancing ASEAN's international standing. It will help ASEAN achieve the three goals of enhancing its internal cohesion, consolidating its centrality in the regional architecture and playing a bigger role in international affairs. Currently, ASEAN is the fifth largest economy in the global economy.

Xu Ningning mentioned that within ASEAN, ASEAN is committed to building the ASEAN community, formulating and implementing the blueprint for the development of the community, and making efforts to enhance the cohesion within ASEAN. The ASEAN Summit held on November 11, 2022 issued the Leaders' Vision Statement for ASEAN Countries to Jointly Meet Challenges, in which the leaders of all countries unanimously stressed the spirit of joint efforts and solidarity. To address challenges with a view to further promoting the building of a harmonious, peaceful, stable and prosperous ASEAN community. Promoting connectivity cooperation is an important measure for ASEAN community building. The ASEAN Leaders' Statement on the Post-2025 ASEAN Connectivity Agenda was issued at the 2022 ASEAN Summit. The Chairman's Statement of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits stressed their commitment to maintaining the momentum of ASEAN Community building and ensuring the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.

Xu Ningning mentioned that in terms of external relations, ASEAN has established comprehensive strategic partnerships with China, Australia, the United States and India in the past year. China is actively pursuing cooperation with other countries, and maintaining its central role in the regional architecture through such mechanisms as 10+1, 10+3 and the East Asia Summit. We are implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and jointly promoting the opening up and development of the world's largest free trade area. Upgrading the FTA with ASEAN countries that have already implemented the FTA; It is developing cooperative relations with countries and regions, including dialogue partners, and seeking to play an increasingly important role in international affairs. By November 2022, 39 non-ASEAN countries had acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Xu Ningning mentioned that ASEAN's development also faces many internal and external challenges. The theme of the 2022 ASEAN Summit is "ASEAN: The summit issued the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on the 55th Anniversary of the founding of ASEAN. Leaders of ASEAN countries summarized the successful experience of cooperation and development in the past 55 years, further built consensus and worked hard to build ASEAN into a region with sustained economic growth, political stability and an important role in the international arena. Asean is aware that to achieve its own development goals and meet challenges, on the one hand, it needs to enhance internal synergy and strengthen its health. On the other hand, it is necessary to win the active support and cooperation of external countries and regions extensively to create a road to rise with "ASEAN characteristics".

Xu said that in November 2022, the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits adopted the Declaration on the 55th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN and other consensus documents. Since 2023, in order to implement the above consensus documents, ASEAN has, while focusing on economic recovery, made great efforts to promote mutual promotion of internal and external relations, emphasized strengthening internal cohesion, maintained and consolidated ASEAN's centrality and leading role in regional architecture, actively promoted constructive and cooperative relations with external partners, and strengthened external circle of friends. Maintaining regional stability and achieving economic growth in a complex and changing international situation.

Xu Ningning mentioned that in order to seek development and cope with changes in the situation, ASEAN has held a series of meetings this year, including: The 32nd ASEAN Coordination Council and ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat Meeting, ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM), 15th ASEAN Security Council of ASEAN Political and Security Community, 29th ASEAN Economic Ministers' Retreat, ASEAN Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, etc.

Xu Ningning said that since the beginning of this year, ASEAN and the outside world also held a series of meetings to enhance cooperation.

Xu Ningning mentioned that since the establishment of dialogue partnership between China and ASEAN in 1991, the relations between China and Southeast Asian countries have achieved breakthrough development. China-asean relations developed into consultation partners in 1992, comprehensive dialogue partners in 1996, good-neighborly partnership of mutual trust oriented towards the 21st century in 1997, and strategic partners oriented towards peace and prosperity in 2003. At the summit commemorating the 30th anniversary of dialogue relations in 2021, the two sides developed their relationship into a comprehensive strategic partnership. Chinese leaders called for building "five homelands" of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty and friendship.

Xu said that over the past 30 years and more, the good-neighborly relations between China and ASEAN countries have been developing in a deeper and broader direction, and the cooperation between China and ASEAN countries is full of momentum and vitality, which shows that "good neighbors make good friends". In the past three years, the two sides have been each other's largest trading partner. We believe that no matter how the international situation may change, China and ASEAN countries will develop long-term good-neighborly and friendly relations, help each other and work together for development.