Jakarta, December 17 (Xinhua) — Let’s move forward together in the same boat and ride the waves – upgrading the quality of China ASEAN cooperation in 2025
Multi field cooperation is flourishing, trade scale is steadily increasing, the China ASEAN Free Trade Area is upgraded to a new stage of version 3.0, and the China ASEAN Year of Cultural Exchange has successfully concluded
In 2025, against the backdrop of increasing external uncertainties such as unilateralism and protectionism seriously impacting the international economic and trade order, and external forces interfering and disturbing the region, China ASEAN cooperation will “go against the trend” and steadily move forward on the path of cooperative development, working together to promote the construction of a closer China ASEAN community with a shared future.
Open integration leads to abundant fruits
The world situation is turbulent, regional disputes are intensifying, and uncertainty is rising. These not only test the ASEAN economy, but also the ASEAN’s belief in cooperation, “said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who will hold the ASEAN rotating presidency in 2025, at the ASEAN Summit in October.
For many years, China has always supported the central position of ASEAN, worked together with ASEAN countries to maintain stability in the regional multilateral trading system, and jointly maintained smooth regional industrial and supply chains. In the first 11 months of this year, ASEAN was China’s largest trading partner, with China’s imports and exports to ASEAN reaching 6.82 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.5%.
Through high-level opening up, China continues to share super large market opportunities with ASEAN countries. In the first 10 months of this year, the trade volume of agricultural and food products between China and ASEAN reached 51.3 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 8.9%; Among them, China imported over 10 billion US dollars worth of dried and fresh fruits and vegetables from ASEAN, accounting for more than two-thirds of its global imports.
China has also strengthened cooperation with ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, and green economy, opening up new prospects for innovation driven development.
On August 23, the international freight train to Vientiane, Laos left Yuxi Yanhe Station of China Laos Railway (UAV photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Xinbo
From the “golden channel” effect of the China Laos railway to the steady operation of the Ya’an Wanzhou high-speed railway to drive the economic development along the line, a new picture of regional prosperity has been set up by interconnection projects; The construction of key projects and industrial parks such as the “Two Countries, Two Parks” between China and Malaysia, the “Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor” between China and Indonesia, and the China Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park is steadily advancing, further promoting the deep integration of the industrial chain and assisting in the prosperity and development of the regional economy and society.
ASEAN Secretary General Gao Jinhong said that through continuous dialogue, shared vision, and collective efforts, ASEAN and China continue to deepen cooperation, bringing new opportunities for stability, security, and development to the region, and truly transforming the shared vision into substantial achievements that benefit the people.
Further upgrade of economic and trade cooperation
On October 27th, in Liuzhou, Guangxi, three new energy logistics vehicles, three golf carts, and two “golden small trucks” slowly drove off the production line in the final assembly workshop of the Vehicle Division of Guangxi Automobile Group, and were about to be sent to Vietnam. On this day, the 5000th complete vehicle exported by Guangxi Automobile Group to ASEAN departed, becoming a microcosm of the fruitful achievements in the construction of the China ASEAN Free Trade Area.
On October 28th, the China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol was signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The level of economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN has once again upgraded, and the cooperation between the two sides has entered a new stage of institutionalization.
Feng Xue, Director of Innovation and Development Department of Guangxi Automobile Group, said that the signing of the China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol will bring unprecedented new opportunities for Chinese enterprises to expand into the ASEAN market.
At the 22nd China ASEAN Expo, Liuzhou’s new energy vehicles powered by artificial intelligence have attracted widespread attention from domestic and foreign businesses and audiences. This is the Liuzhou produced electric new energy vehicle exhibition booth taken on September 20th at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Qiusi
The upgrade of China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 covers a total of 9 areas, including digital economy, green economy, supply chain connectivity, standards and technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, customs procedures and trade facilitation, competition and consumer protection, small and medium-sized enterprises, and economic and technological cooperation.
The signing of the protocol marks the expansion of China ASEAN free trade cooperation and regional economic integration from traditional trade and investment liberalization and facilitation to emerging fields such as digital, green, standards, and supply chains.
For ASEAN member countries such as Indonesia, this protocol helps to enhance competitiveness within an open, rule-based framework, attract sustainable investment, and strengthen regional integration, “said Garibaldi Toshil, Chairman of the China Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The construction of the China ASEAN Free Trade Area has come a long way, and the current version 3.0 is a new achievement of deepening regional economic integration between the two sides, and also opens up a new paradigm for regional economic cooperation. In the view of Associate Professor He Min from the School of International Economics at the Foreign Affairs College, the protocol will further break down economic and trade barriers, achieve rule alignment and mutual recognition of standards, and bring long-term stable institutional dividends to the economic growth of both sides.
Co planting the ‘China ASEAN Friendship Tree’
On the evening of December 9th, on Chicken Farm Street in Malacca, Malaysia. Drums and gongs resound in unison, southern lions pave the way, and people from China, Malaysia, and ASEAN tour the neighborhood, planting the “China ASEAN Friendship Tree” together. With the holding of the closing ceremony series of activities for the China ASEAN Year of People to People Exchange 2024-2025, the Year of People to People Exchange has come to a successful conclusion.
In the past two years, various sectors of China and ASEAN have jointly organized nearly 200 high-level, effective, and popular cultural exchange activities, promoting people to people exchanges and mutual understanding between the two sides, forming a broad social effect, and laying a solid social foundation for jointly building the “Five Great Homes”.
China has launched the “ASEAN Visa” program, offering comprehensive visa free access to Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, and granting visa free treatment to citizens of Brunei, allowing Chinese and ASEAN citizens to travel like relatives.
From youth visits to educational cooperation, from the significantly increasing number of two-way tourists to the ongoing cultural festivals, China and ASEAN are constantly expanding channels for people to people exchanges, and the emotional connection between the two sides is becoming stronger.
On June 29th, the classic Chinese Cantonese opera play “The Peony Pavilion: A Dream” was performed at the Yueshitang Theater in Hue, Vietnam. Photo by Hu Jiali, Xinhua News Agency reporter
From the spicy taste of “going to Southeast Asia” to dozens of Muay Thai gyms in Kunming, and to the popular Chinese micro dramas in Southeast Asia, the pace of cultural exchanges between China and ASEAN is accelerating, driving industrial cooperation and adding brilliance to regional cooperation.
Looking back at 2025, China and ASEAN have always responded to challenges with pragmatic cooperation, expanded the future with an open attitude, and outlined a clear vision towards building a closer China ASEAN community with a shared future.
Looking ahead to 2026, China and ASEAN will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the establishment of their comprehensive strategic partnership. Looking forward to ASEAN and China continuing to strengthen cooperation and jointly building a peaceful, stable, shared prosperity, and vibrant region, “said Awang Bimi, Speaker of the Malaysian House of Lords, full of confidence in ASEAN and China working together.