High-level visits to boost Sino-ASEAN cooperation

Several high-level visits by officials from Southeast Asian countries to China over the past few days have demonstrated the countries' desire to enhance relationships and deepen win-win cooperation with the region's largest economic partner, observers said.

The beginning of April has witnessed a host of high-level visits, including Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto and foreign ministers from Laos, Vietnam and Timor-Leste.

This week, Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat are visiting China.

Those visits have demonstrated the great importance they attached to relations with China, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday.

Emphasizing that neighboring countries are a priority in China's diplomacy, Mao said Beijing has been following the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness to carry out cooperation with its neighbors to enhance mutual understanding and trust as well as pursue common development and prosperity.

Southeast Asian countries are also important partners for Belt and Road cooperation, she said, adding that a large number of cooperation projects, including the China-Laos Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" between China and Malaysia, have boosted economic growth and benefited people in the region.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. "We stand ready to work with our neighbors to carry forward the spirit of the five principles … expand the integration of interests, and jointly make Asia a peaceful, safe, prosperous, beautiful, amicable and harmonious home for us," she said.

Zhai Kun, a professor at the School of International Studies and deputy director of the Institute of Area Studies at Peking University, said visiting China during the spring has become an annual diplomatic practice for Southeast Asian nations in recent years.

Though the Philippines frequently stirred up trouble in the South China Sea to escalate tensions, Southeast Asian nations have expressed hope for regional stability and cooperation, Zhai said.

China and ASEAN are each other's largest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year. In January and February, trade volume between China and ASEAN totaled 993.2 billion yuan ($137.3 billion) and up by 8.1 percent, statistics showed.

Mutual visa exemption is realized between China and the three Southeast Asian countries of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Various events will be held during the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

The relationship between China and ASEAN has seen an all-around development, Zhai said.

Fruitful progress

In addition to highlights in economic cooperation, Zhai said progress in other areas is also fruitful.

He emphasized that people-to-people exchanges are the foundation of the China-ASEAN relationship. The China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges aims to further consolidate the pillar of their relationship, he said.

According to the State of Southeast Asia 2024 Survey Report by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, China continues to be regarded as the most influential country in Southeast Asia economically and politically.

More than half of the respondents chose China when asked if ASEAN was forced to align itself with either China or the United States. This is the first time more people in Southeast Asia have preferred China over the US since the institute began the survey in 2019.