Asia-Pacific Towards New Future

By Editorial Board



Asia-Pacific Towards New Future

By Editorial Board

In the world today when economic recovery is a major concern，Baotuan Qunuan （getting closer for warmth） is a good method to cope with the chill.

In 2016， China and ASEAN will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of their dialogue relationship. In the frst 10 months of 2015， bilateral trade value surpassed $370 billion； bilateral investment has amounted to $150 billion； the two-way exchange of students has reached 180，000 and the exchange of tourists has exceeded 20 million. With the eforts made by all the parties concerned，including China and ASEAN， the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank went into operation at the end of 2015. In 2016， the Bank will begin issuing loans. All of the above will inject new energy into China-ASEAN relations.

The establishment of the ASEAN Community is a milestone in the construction of ASEAN integration and also marks a higher level of regional cooperation. At the 18th China-ASEAN （10+1） leaders' meeting in Malaysia in Nov 2015， Chinese Premier Li Keqiang noted that the aggregate GDP of the 10+1 has reached nearly $13 trillion， accounting for nearly 60 percent of Asia's total GDP. Premier Li said the cooperation in trade， investment and industrial cooperation is increasingly close， forming a development pattern featuring inter-connectedness and mutual interdependence. Although East Asia continues to lead the world economic growth，like other countries and regions in the world， the region is also faced with downward pressure.China and ASEAN countries are in a critical period of development. It is a historical trend for them to strengthen the 10+1 cooperation.

For example， the China-Thailand railway project involves fxed assets in Laos that will exceed Laos' current national GDP. Promoting the railway project will help stimulate communication facilities construction in Thailand and will also help with the communication between China （especially Yunnan Province） and Thailand， as well as other Southeast Asian countries. This railway construction project will therefore help promote the economic development of the other countries in the region.

The ordinary mathematical calculation 1+1=2 is known to all. However， for the cooperation between ASEAN members and China，the calculation is bound to be 1+1＞2.

The national fag of China is being displayed at the 21st ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh， Cambodia on November 18， 2012.