Asean centrality matters for East Asia cooperation

Writer:Xu Bu, China's ambassador to Asean

(THESTRAITTIMES)Theyear2016marksthefirstyearaftertheestablishmentoftheAseanCommunityonThursday.

WhatimpacttheAseanCommunitywillhaveonAseancentralityinregionalaffairsisatopicalissueformanyobservers.AseancentralityistheprinciplethattheSouth-eastAsiangroupingof10countriesshouldremainatthecentreofregionalcooperation.Aseancentrality,andthedevelopmentofAseancountries,setsagoodexampleofsuccessfulpromotionofdemocracyininternationalrelationsinEastAsia,andwellservespeace,stabilityanddevelopmentintheregion.

Thesedays,theprocessofworldmulti-polarisationandregionalintegrationremainsintheascendant.WithAseanbeingthemostintegratedandrepresentativeinter-governmentalorganisationinEastAsia,maintainingAseancentralitynotonlyservesthecurrentregionaldevelopment,butisalsoconsistentwiththemajortrendofworlddevelopment.

NocountryknowsbetterthanAseancountriesdoabouttheurgentchallengesconfrontingSouth-eastAsiaandthetopprioritiesinregionalcooperation.WithAseanbeingthelocomotiveforregionalcooperation,commoninterestsandconcernsofthecountriesintheregioncouldberepresentedandaddressedtotheutmost,andthedevelopmentofthevariousregionalcooperationmechanismscouldbewelloriented.

TheregionalcooperationmechanismsspearheadedbyAseancouldalsoprovideanimportantplatformforcountriesbothwithinandoutsidetheregiontoshareviewsandmeetchallengesinregionalaffairs.Frommypointofview,theestablishmentoftheAseanCommunitywillfurtherstrengthenAseancentrality.

UndertheAseanCommunity,Aseancountrieswillbefurtherintegratedintermsofpolitics,security,economyandsocio-culture,whichwillgiveAseanasawholearesonantvoiceinregionalcooperation.

SomeanalysesshowthattheestablishmentoftheAseanEconomicCommunitymayboostthegrowthrateoftheAseaneconomybyuptoabout7percent.By2020,AseaneconomicaggregateoutputwouldhavegrownfromUS$2.5trillion(S$3.5trillion)toUS$4.7trillion,risingfromtheseventhlargesttothefourthintheworld.

By2030,Asean'smiddle-classpopulationwillhavedoubled,topping163million.WewillalsoseeasharpincreaseinforeigninvestmentinAsean.UndertheAseanCommunity,membercountrieswillbefurtherintegratedintermsofpolitics,security,economyandsocio-culture,whichwillgiveAseanasawholearesonantvoiceinregionalcooperation.

NewchallengesforASEANcommunity

However,newcircumstancesalsobringforthnewproblemsandchallengesforAsean.Inrecentyears,EastAsiaenjoyedoverallstability,andpeace,developmentandcooperationdefinethemainpoliciesoftheregionalcountries.

Atthesametime,theinternationalandregionallandscapesareundergoingprofoundadjustment.

Bothcompetitionandcooperationamongmajorcountriestakeonfreshtraits.Theworldeconomystillstaggersonthewaytorecovery,whilesomecountriesintheregionarestrugglingwitheconomicdownwardpressure.Traditionalandnon-traditionalsecuritythreatsloomlargeintheregion.Ourregionisfacingthechallengesofgrowingvarietyandcomplexity.

SecuringASEANcentrality

Therefore,sustainingAseancentralitydemandsbothconcertedeffortsofAseancountriesandactivecooperationfromcountriesbeyondtheregion.

TosecureAseancentrality,themainthemeofpeaceanddevelopmentshouldbekeptupwith.TheprimaryreasonwhyEastAsiacanleadtheworldineconomicgrowthhasbeenthepeacefulandstableenvironmentitenjoys.

ButlookattheMiddleEast-turmoilandchaospersist,withsomecountriescaughtupinpoliticalunrestandpeoplethrownintodestitution.Peacehasbeenalreadybeyondreach,letalonedevelopment.

Astheleadingforceinregionalcooperation,Aseancountriesshouldcherishthehard-wonpeaceandstabilityintheregionandfocusfirmlyonboostingeconomicgrowthandimprovingwell-beingofthepeoples.

Especiallywhendealingwithdifferencesanddisputesamongthecountries,Aseanshouldadheretodialogueandnegotiations,andpreventindividualcountriesfromdisturbingorevenundermining,fortheirownulteriormotives,theoverallcooperationinEastAsia.

TosecureAseancentrality,interactionwithmajorpowersoutsidetheregionshouldbeproperlyhandled,sincetheyarebecomingmoreandmoreengagedinregionalaffairs.Aseancouldstandoutasaqualifiedcoordinatoramongmajorpowersbyguidingregionalcooperationinsuchawaythatthemajorpowersengagethemselveswithregionalaffairsinanorderlymanner,interactwitheachotherunderanAsean-centredregionalcooperationframeworkandincreasetheirfutureengagementintheinterestofregionalpeaceanddevelopment.

Thoughitismorethannaturalformajorpowerstodisagreeoncertainissues,Aseancountriesshouldhaveadequatewisdomtoaccommodatethecommoninterestsofallpartiesandpromotecooperationamongthem,ratherthantakingadvantageoftheirdisputestopursueshort-termgains.

TosecureAseancentrality,balanceddevelopmentshouldbeachievedinAsean.

Despitehaving9percentoftheworld'spopulation,Asean'sGDPmakesuponly3percentoftheworld's,indicatingthatthereisstillhugeroomforeconomicgrowth.

TheenormousdevelopmentgapamongAseancountrieshas,tosomeextent,alreadyaffectedtheireconomiccompetitivenessintheworldandheldbackinvestmentinthemanufacturingindustryandinfrastructuredevelopment.

Aseanmembershavedifferentpoliticalsystems,religionsandcultures,whichalsocontributetodifficultiesinintegration.

Undersuchcircumstances,Aseancountriesshouldstrengthenmutualassistanceinanefforttoachievecommondevelopment,enhancecohesion,acceleratetheintegrationprocessandincreasetheoverallinfluenceofAseanintheregionandtheworldatlarge.

FirmsupportforASEAN

AsAsean'sgoodneighbour,goodfriendandgoodpartner,ChinahasalwaysbeenfirmlysupportingAseancentralityinregionalcooperationinEastAsia.

InOctober2013,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingaddressedtheIndonesianParliament,pointingout:"ChinaisreadytodiscusswithAseancountriestheprospectofconcludingatreatyofgood-neighbourliness,friendshipandcooperationinajointefforttobuildgood-neighbourlyrelations.ChinawillcontinuetosupportAseaningrowingitsstrength,buildingAseancommunityandplayingacentralroleinregionalcooperation."

Lastmonth,PremierLiKeqiangdeclaredatthe18thChina-AseanSummit:"ChinahasalwaysregardedAseanasapriorityinitsneighbourhooddiplomacy.WefirmlysupportAsean'sintegrationandcommunity-buildingefforts,andsupportAseancentralityinregionalcooperation."

China'ssupportofAseancentralityhasbeenreflectedthroughouttheprocessofChina-Aseancooperation.Nextyearmarksthe25thanniversaryofChina-Aseandialoguerelations.OurtradevolumehasincreasedfromUS$7billion25yearsagotoUS$480billionlastyear.Two-wayinvestmenthasalsojumped-fromUS$500milliontoUS$130billion.

ChinahasbeenAsean'slargesttradingpartnerforsevenconsecutiveyearsandAseanhasbeenChina'sthird-largesttradingpartnerforfouryearsinarow.

Attheendofthisyear,thetotalexchangeoftouristsbetweenChinaandAseancountriesisexpectedtoexceed20millionvisits.ChinaandAseancountriesarewellpoisedtoworkhandinhandinopeningupawholenewvistaforthedevelopmentofEastAsia.