News analysis: Li's Malaysia trip to initiate upgrading of China-ASEAN cooperation at new promising juncture

Premier Li Keqiang will be in Malaysia from Nov. 20-23, he will attend attend the East Asia Leaders' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, an important platform to map out cooperation between China and Southeast Asian nations. 0 "The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, and its relations with China are at a key juncture. With a proven history of smooth cooperation, both sides should map out a new plan for the coming five years," said Jiang Ruiping, deputy director of China Foreign Affairs University.

The China-ASEAN dialogue partnership will celebrate its 25th year in 2016. The regional organization was founded in 1967 by its 10 member states -- Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

An ASEAN community is expected to take shape by the end of this year, it will be the first sub-regional community in Asia.

"China-ASEAN relations are facing new opportunities [...] at this new starting point," Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told a press briefing Tuesday.

During the 18th China-ASEAN (10+1) leaders' meeting, Li will discuss China's ASEAN policy and propose measures to promote cooperation in areas including production capacity, as well as inter-connectivity, according to Liu.

Song Junying, a researcher with the China Institute of International Studies, said ASEAN will become more united after forming the community, which can be more efficient in allocating resources and planning cooperation programs. This will be good for the China-ASEAN cooperation.

China was the first country to establish a strategic partnership with ASEAN, and the first non-ASEAN signatory to ink the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Altogether, seven ASEAN members are continental or maritime neighbors of China.

Besides the close historical and cultural bonds between the two sides, China and ASEAN have also witnessed fast-growing economic cooperation.

"Trade and economic cooperation between China and ASEAN nations are the most substantial among East Asian countries," said Vice Commerce Minister Gao Yan at the press conference.

China was ASEAN's biggest trading partner for six-consecutive years while ASEAN was China's third largest trading partner for three years. Bilateral trade in the first ten months of this year reached 397.2 billion U.S. dollars.

"Closer trade and economic ties among East Asian countries will help the region cope with challenges and promote the stable and sound development of the world economy," Gao said.

She added that China hoped the meetings will push forward negotiations on the upgrading of the China-ASEAN free trade area (FTA), promote the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), speed up the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and promote East Asia's economic growth.

The China-ASEAN FTA is the largest among developing countries. The two sides are striving to finish negotiations on the upgrade before the end of this year.

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road was a part of the Belt and Road initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 with an aim of reviving the ancient trade routes and strengthening regional inter-communication.

"ASEAN, especially the five Indo-China continental countries, are comparatively underdeveloped in terms of infrastructure [...] this will be an important part of the Belt and Road initiative [...] and strengthen the region's inter-communication," Song said

Besides the 10+1 meeting, Li will also attend the 18th ASEAN-China, Japan and Republic of Korea (ROK) (10+3) leaders' meeting; and the 10th East Asia Summit, according to Liu.

The resumption of the China-Japan-ROK trilateral leaders' meeting after three years of deadlock and the launch of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Framework one week before are also positive, analysts said.

"The premier will promote the 10+3 to implement a cooperation plan for 2013 to 2017, deepen cooperation in areas including inter-communication, maritime, poverty reduction and disaster relief, and speed up negotiation on a trilateral FTA and the RCEP to build up the East Asia economic community," Liu said. Endi