Forum calls for stronger relations with ASEAN

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations need to strengthen their partnership to remain resilient against external headwinds that threaten regional stability and development, a regional forum heard on Monday.

Speakers at the forum on the fifth anniversary of the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership noted that the two sides have long enjoyed robust economic and diplomatic relations and how this relationship will help them navigate the challenges brought by the Middle East crisis, climate change and rising protectionism.

The forum, held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, was organized by China's Mission to ASEAN and Malaysia's Permanent Mission to ASEAN.

A special report on the indispensability of ASEAN-China relations, by the China Foreign Affairs University and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia, was also launched at the forum.

Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Wang Qing said China and ASEAN are "close neighbors with a shared future" and that by working together, the two sides can promote steady growth.

"China firmly supports an ASEAN-centered, open and inclusive regional cooperation architecture and will inject greater certainty into the region through stable China-ASEAN cooperation," Wang said.

Both sides must oppose any external interference or any scheme to revive militarism; stay committed to openness and cooperation; and enhance regional food and energy security, as well as supply chain stability, through mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.

Sarah Al Bakri Devadason, Malaysia's permanent representative to ASEAN, said that dialogue, openness, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence have long guided ASEAN-China cooperation.

"These are foundational elements upon which our partnership has been built and the compass that will continue to guide us forward," she said.

For ASEAN's Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, a stronger ASEAN-China partnership "is not merely desirable, it is indeed necessary" as both sides face external challenges.

Kao said ASEAN-China relations have grown through the years, and that both sides can build on this relationship by focusing on several areas, such as energy cooperation.

The Middle East crisis has exposed the vulnerability of global energy and food supply chains to geopolitical shocks, he said. ASEAN and China need to deepen cooperation on both energy and food security, which can be done through collaboration in renewable energy and green financing, he added.

"ASEAN and China can contribute meaningfully, not just to regional stability and prosperity, but also to global stability and prosperity. It is a role that neither side can play successfully alone, and it is one that drives this partnership's strategic purpose beyond our own immediate interests," Kao said.

Energy demand

Beni Suryadi, senior manager for the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation and Strategic Partnership of the ASEAN Center for Energy, said the bloc's energy demand will continue to grow alongside economic development, industrialization and improving living standards.

He said studies by the ASEAN Center for Energy show that achieving this transition will require a substantial expansion of renewable energy, energy storage, regional power interconnection and clean-energy manufacturing.

"ASEAN and China can strengthen supply-chain resilience by developing a complementary network of production hubs across the region," Suryadi said.

Leonardus Jegho is a freelance journalist for China Daily.

Contact the writers at prime@chinadailyapac.com