China-ASEAN forum highlights solidarity, development

HAIKOU, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The China-ASEAN High-level Think Tank Forum was held on Saturday in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province.

With the theme of working in solidarity and focusing on development to promote the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, more than 200 politicians and experts from China and ASEAN countries shared their opinions both online and offline during the one-day forum.

Special sessions on the Hainan free trade port, the deepening of China-ASEAN strategic trust and China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation were also held during the forum.

Since China and ASEAN forged their dialogue relations 30 years ago, comprehensive cooperation between the two sides has given a strong boost to their cultural, economic and social development, bringing tangible benefits to over 2 billion people in 11 countries, and greatly contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world at large, Wang Jiarui, chairman of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, said at the forum's opening ceremony.

Over the past three decades, trade between China and ASEAN has skyrocketed 85-fold. Last year, China remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for the 12th consecutive year, while ASEAN became China's largest trading partner.

"ASEAN had for the first time surpassed the EU as the largest trading partner of China amid COVID-19-induced economic fall-out last year. Indeed, the pandemic has enhanced the China-ASEAN solidarity and economic inter-dependability enormously," said Ong Tee Keat, chairman of the Centre for New Inclusive Asia.

"The China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is all set to be a new booster, capable of propelling the long intertwined interests of both sides to a higher plane," the chairman added.

Countries need multilateralism to promote people-to-people exchanges, said Bhokin Bhalakula, former president of the Thai Parliament in his video speech.

"Cooperation will strengthen our power to overcome humanity's common enemies including natural disasters, pandemics, and any other obstacles. It will also lead to our success in win-win scenarios to achieve common prosperity together," Bhokin Bhalakula noted.