Mutual trust vital for ties

BEIJING - Mutual trust is the key to ensuring a peaceful environment for deepening economic cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said analysts.

China and ASEAN, which mark the 20th anniversary of their dialogue this year, will continue to prioritize economic cooperation, said Luo Yongkun, a researcher on Southeast Asian studies with China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

"But their economic ties should be deepened with cooperation in more areas in addition to trade, where a China-ASEAN Free Trade Area is already in place," Luo told China Daily.