As a witness and promoter of China-ASEAN relations, Mr.Xu Ningning, Executive Director of the China-ASEAN Business Council, had been engaged in China-ASEAN cooperation since 1990. Xu shared with us his experiences over the past 25 years.

Since the two sides established a dialogue relationship 25 years ago, innovation had become the foundation of multi-country cooperation. Xu said China is the first country to form an FTA, establish strategic partnerships and join in the  Southeast Asia Treaty of Friendship with ASEAN. These accomplishments bring constant innovation and vitality to all cooperation with ASEAN.

Since 2004, the China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business & Investment Summit is held annually in Nanning, China. The two events have been greatly welcomed among ASEAN countries as an important achievement of innovative cooperation between China and ASEAN, promoting business information sharing, mutual understanding and furthering business ties.

According to Xu, China-ASEAN cooperation is still growing in many areas. In the economic field, cooperation in finance, logistics, intellectual property and SMEs continues to strengthen. In social and cultural fields, cooperation in tourism and education also continues to be deepened and refined.

Xu believes that under the Belt and Road Initiative, as China-AEAN cooperation continues, consensus between the two sides will also expand—from initial framework agreements to specific cooperation details, from joint statements to concrete plans of action—it will push forward strategic cooperation between the two sides.