High-quality development key to ASEAN-China common prosperity, experts say

High-quality development and deeper economic integration between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China could help the region navigate growing geopolitical and economic uncertainties and create new opportunities for shared prosperity, experts at a regional forum said on Thursday.

The ASEAN-China Strategic Relationship Forum, held at Sunway University in Malaysia on Sept 17-18, brought together policymakers, scholars, and business leaders to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation under the theme "High-Quality Development and Shared Prosperity".

The forum comes amid growing economic ties between ASEAN and China. Bilateral trade between the two sides surpassed $1.05 trillion in 2025, up 7.4 percent year-on-year. In the first seven months of 2026, trade between China and ASEAN reached $744.41 billion, an increase of 24.7 percent year-on-year, according to data from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

"High-quality development is not merely an economic concept — it is the very foundation upon which ASEAN and China can build lasting common prosperity," Mahendhiran Sanggaran Nair, pro-vice-chancellor of Sunway University, said in his opening address.

Participants discussed how ASEAN and China can respond to growing geoeconomic fragmentation, which has been shaped by disruptions to global supply chains since the 2008 financial crisis and further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising geopolitical tensions.

Despite these challenges, speakers noted that closer economic links between ASEAN and China have continued to develop, including through trade, investment, and regional production networks.

Mustapa Mohamed, a board member of the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, highlighted China's transformation into a major manufacturing center and consumer market, noting its advances in sectors including electric vehicles, high-speed rail, batteries, and robotics.

He said there was significant potential for ASEAN-China cooperation in these areas.

"ASEAN and China should jointly safeguard the rules-based international order, leverage China's technological strengths, and pursue win-win outcomes that expand ASEAN's exports to China and help rebalance trade," Mustapa said.

China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for six consecutive years, according to Chinese Vice-Minister of Commerce Yan Dong, as quoted by Xinhua on Sept 1.

Speakers at the forum identified several areas for deeper regional cooperation, including upholding the multilateral trading system, accelerating digital transformation and the adoption of artificial intelligence, and strengthening investment in human capital and skills development.

They also highlighted the need to prepare workers for changes in the labor market as new technologies reshape industries and create new forms of employment.

With China's economy continuing to grow at around 5 percent, speakers said ASEAN economies could benefit from stronger economic links with China while seeking to expand their own exports, technological capabilities, and participation in regional value chains.

The two-day forum will continue discussions on how ASEAN and China can promote more resilient and inclusive economic development amid an increasingly fragmented global economy.