Xinhua News Agency, Nanning, September 18th Title: Moving towards the new, China-ASEAN cooperation has a bright future

Xinhua News Agency reporters Qin Xingxing and Zhu Lili

In the golden autumn of September, on the banks of the Yongjiang River, the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo arrived as scheduled.The exhibition focuses on the construction of version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and promotes the docking of emerging fields such as digital economy, green and low-carbon, and artificial intelligence.More than 3,400 Chinese and foreign companies participated in the exhibition, and the market enthusiasm was high, casting a vote of confidence in the prospects of China-ASEAN cooperation.China and ASEAN continue to work together, which is not only a practical requirement for regional development, but also a responsibility and opportunity given to both sides by the times.

This year coincides with the fifth anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It is also the starting year of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Plan (2026-2030). It is also a critical year for accelerating the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Version 3.0 Upgrade Protocol after the signing.Under the turbulent international situation, cooperation between China and ASEAN in various fields has been upgraded and achieved fruitful results.In 2025, the bilateral trade volume between China and ASEAN will exceed the trillion dollar mark for the first time. China has maintained its status as ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, and ASEAN has become China's largest trading partner for six consecutive years.The two parties’ status as each other’s most active investment partners has been further consolidated.

From traditional trade and investment to emerging areas such as digital economy, green and low-carbon, and industry and supply chain cooperation, the scope of cooperation between China and ASEAN continues to expand.Major interconnection projects have been implemented and achieved results, the China-Laos Railway and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway are operating smoothly, the construction progress of Malaysia's East Coast Railway has been constantly refreshed, and a number of landmark projects continue to empower regional development.Practice has fully shown that the two sides have a strong endogenous willingness to deepen cooperation, there is broad development space for market docking, and the prospects for common prosperity of regional countries are promising.

In the face of development challenges, China and ASEAN have jointly responded to poverty reduction, education, health, disaster prevention and reduction and other fields, and continued to improve people's livelihood and well-being; in regional and international affairs, the two sides have continued to deepen cooperation, bringing stability, security and development new opportunities to the region.Cultural exchanges are close, the channels for people-to-people communication continue to expand, and the public opinion foundation for mutual understanding and love is getting stronger and stronger, injecting deep and lasting power into building a closer community with a shared future.

Just two days ago, the Pinglu Canal was officially opened to navigation, and the new Western Land-Sea Corridor has accelerated its connection with the ASEAN market, which is expected to inject more new momentum into regional integration.Standing at a new historical starting point, China and ASEAN will continue to move forward side by side, respond to challenges with pragmatic cooperation, and expand the future with an open attitude. They will certainly contribute more to regional peace, stability and common prosperity.