ASEAN-China ties moving toward strategic depth

China's first official engagement with ASEAN as an institution took place in July 1991 in Kuala Lumpur, when China's then Foreign Minister Qian Qichen attended the opening ceremony of the 24th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting. On that occasion, China expressed its interest in building a cooperative relationship with ASEAN, to which ASEAN responded positively by granting it Consultative Partner status.

In July 1996, ASEAN accorded China full Dialogue Partner status. At the end of the 1990s, ASEAN leaders and the then president Jiang Zemin held their first summit in Malaysia and declared their intention to build a partnership for the 21st century.

That occasion paved the way for deepening the ASEAN-China partnership, a partnership committed to delivering peace and prosperity for people on both sides.

Thirty-five years after establishing dialogue relations between ASEAN and China, both sides have generally made good on that promise of peace and prosperity.

Ties between ASEAN and China have made significant advances, becoming one of the most important pillars of peace and stability in East Asia. For China, ASEAN is an important neighborhood with which it shares common interests in peace, stability and prosperity.

For ASEAN, China is a close neighbor with which the future of the region should be shaped together.

Through close cooperation over the past 35 years, ASEAN and China have laid a solid economic and political-security foundation for deepening ties in the decades ahead.

On the economic front, several key economic agreements, especially the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), the extraordinary growth of trade between the two sides and China's growing investment in ASEAN, all point to the fact that China's role in ASEAN's economy is of paramount importance for regional states.

China is now ASEAN's largest trading partner, a major source of foreign investment, and a major driver of technological advancements in regional states. Mutual economic interests have become an important factor binding China and ASEAN into an interdependent relationship.

On the political security front, China has been and remains a strong supporter of ASEAN's norms, principles and role in shaping a peaceful and stable regional order in Southeast Asia.

For example, China was the first dialogue partner that acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). It is also a strong supporter of ASEAN's centrality in managing regional order and the first to declare its readiness to sign ASEAN's Protocol to the Treaty on a Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone.

ASEAN and China have also worked closely in many ASEAN-centered multilateral platforms.

China's support for and participation in these regional initiatives by ASEAN is essential for bolstering the centrality of ASEAN as a manager of regional order in Southeast Asia.

The remarkable transformation in ASEAN-China relations is not a product of random developments, but a product of hard work on both sides.

It is a product of genuine efforts by the governments and people of ASEAN and China to understand each other, to respect each other, to treat each other as equals, to build on common interests, and to resolve differences in a peaceful manner. It is a product of our shared commitment to working together for peace and prosperity, not only for the people on both sides, but also for the entire region.

As we move forward over the next 35 years and beyond, we must recognize that the partnership between ASEAN and China is now facing a more complex international environment due to uncertainty brought about by the changing nature of international politics.

Within such an uncertain external environment, the partnership between ASEAN and China will require continuous nurturing, close coordination, and more frequent dialogue. That is why, moving forward, we need to continue to strengthen the foundation of ASEAN-China relations.

The key challenge in strengthening ASEAN-China relations is not how to build a relationship free from challenges and problems. The challenge is how to ensure that we are always ready and work fast to address and manage the problems when they arise.

How do we do that? First, we need to understand the nature of possible problems and challenges in our relations.

Greater understanding of each other's perceptions and views is crucial. We must understand each other's standpoints and views on issues of national and regional concern, and we should recognize that we should not expect that our views will be aligned all the time on all issues.

Differences are normal. What matters most is how we approach, respect, and address those differences. Frequent dialogues between ASEAN and China are important for this mutual understanding.

Second, we need to build a mechanism to address problems based on the shared principles of non-confrontation, non-use of force, preference for dialogue and mutual consultation, mutual respect and equality. The current consultation process on a code of conduct for the South China Sea (COC) is a case in point.

Finally, ASEAN and China need to persuade others to join hands in this undertaking of creating a good, peaceful and prosperous East Asia.

It is indeed imperative for ASEAN and China to revive the East Asian community-building process, so that we can start a conversation about what sort of regional order we want to build. For that, we need Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India to be on board as well.

Only by working together can the promise of an Asian Century be fulfilled.

The author is Indonesia's former ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ireland and the International Maritime Organization from 2016 to 2020 and currently a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.