PHNOM PENH: The ASEAN-China Summit was held on Monday morning to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations. ASEAN and China Leaders agreed to establish Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, recognising that ASEAN-China relations are among the most dynamic, substantive and mutually beneficial, and contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region.

President Xi Jinping has announced a five-point proposal for how China will do its part to enhance ASEAN-China relations:

1) To build peaceful home together, whereby China is ready to deepen cooperation in defence, transnational crimes, and to sign the protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANFWZ) Treaty;

2) To build a secure home together, with China’s commitment to support ASEAN health shield and strengthen effective cooperation on disaster management;

3) To build a prosperous home together, whereby China is to provide US $1.5 billion development investment for the next three years and ready to work with ASEAN to fully tap into the RCEP and upgraded ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (FTA) and increase support for human resource development;

4) To build a beautiful home together, which features greater cooperation on green development and blue economy among others;

5) To build amicable home together, through the promotion of tourism and people-to-people exchange, especially among the youth and young leaders.

ASEAN and China Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and maintaining an open and inclusive regional cooperative framework. They also reiterated their common resolve to take the ASEAN-China Partnership to new heights by further strengthening and expanding cooperation in the areas outlined in the adopted Joint Statement of the ASEAN-China Special Summit.

They placed particular emphasis on collaboration in digital economy and e-commerce, cyber and data security, closer partnership in science, technology and innovative development, new energy technologies and green investment, education, tourism and people-to-people exchange.

In regard to COVID-19, the leaders expressed support for the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, which will enhance ASEAN-China post-COVID-19 cooperation for long-term sustainable development. They shared the common view that early implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) would accelerate economic recovery.