Consolidating new consensus in China-ASEAN cooperation to advance the high-quality construction of the 'Belt and Road'

The China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) stands as a vital platform for advancing regional economic integration, embodying the shared vision of cooperation and mutual benefit between China and ASEAN countries. Since the inception of the "Belt and Road" initiative, CAEXPO has seamlessly integrated with this strategic plan, evolving into a regional public asset and an international collaboration hub in support of the "Belt and Road." This evolution has opened up broader horizons for regional economic and trade cooperation.

China has consistently regarded ASEAN as a top priority in its neighboring diplomacy and a key region for high-quality collaboration under the "Belt and Road" framework. China-ASEAN relations have emerged as a remarkable success and a dynamic exemplar of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, underlining the commitment to building a shared destiny for humanity. The 20th CAEXPO has deepened strategic cooperation between China and ASEAN nations, consolidating new strategic understandings and advancing the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road." This has further reinforced common interests and mutual recognition, fostering a tighter-knit China-ASEAN community with a shared future that better serves China's regional diplomatic strategy and its overall commitment to openness.

Through high-level policy dialogues and institutional openness, China and ASEAN nations are jointly driving the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road." The 20th CAEXPO plays a pivotal role in this endeavor. China and ASEAN have established communication mechanisms across diverse fields and levels, encompassing politics, security, economics, society, and the environment. This has resulted in the initial alignment of development strategies, coordinated development planning, and harmonized cooperation norms. Furthermore, both parties actively participate in shaping trade rules, including standards for emerging industries, technical criteria, product specifications, and regulatory standards. By distilling localized experiences from the "Belt and Road" implementation, they are also advancing negotiations for the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 and the comprehensive implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This strategic alignment strengthens institutional coordination in various sectors such as trade, investment, finance, intellectual property protection, personnel mobility, the digital economy, and supply chain development, thereby building localized rules that meet the practical needs of China and ASEAN countries as a community of shared future.

Optimizing the digital economic landscape between China and ASEAN and jointly constructing a high-quality digital "Belt and Road" are identified as crucial breakthroughs for enhancing cooperation quality. The rapid advancement of emerging digital technologies like 5G, big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence has transformed the digital economy into a primary driver for the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road." China and ASEAN have capitalized on their respective digital markets, resources, and technological strengths to build dependable digital infrastructure, promote industrial digitization, and position the digital economy as a cornerstone for economic recovery and high-quality development. Both sides are accelerating the alignment of their digital development strategies, fostering an open and inclusive environment for digital economic cooperation. In the future, China and ASEAN should further enhance digital and network infrastructure construction, extend the reach of new digital infrastructure, reduce digital economy operating costs, and provide robust financial support for significant China-ASEAN digital economic projects. This can be achieved through improved digital financial service systems and investment and financing channels for digital infrastructure construction. Additionally, both parties should bolster the effective alignment and communication of digital economic policies, rules, institutions, technologies, and standards, collaboratively dismantling institutional barriers to digital economic cooperation. They should expedite the establishment of a comprehensive mechanism for safeguarding the development of digital economic cooperation, with the goal of enhancing the international market competitiveness of the digital economy industry. This includes maintaining the security and stability of the digital economic industry chain, supply chain, and innovation chain, and establishing digital economic platforms, facilitating cross-border digital trade, and streamlining cross-border e-commerce logistics and payment systems to promote convenient cross-border digital trade.

Strengthening the construction of complementary industrial chain support systems between China and ASEAN is crucial to ensuring the safe and stable development of industrial and supply chains. The "Belt and Road" initiative, through capacity cooperation and trade in intermediate products, has elevated the integration capability of China-ASEAN industrial and supply chains. This has facilitated the reconfiguration and optimization of regional industrial chains, addressing structural issues in regional industries. China and ASEAN countries enjoy complementary advantages and a solid foundation for industrial cooperation. Amid global value chain restructuring and industrial realignment, they are jointly constructing regional industrial chains, offering opportunities for both sides to upgrade industries and enhance their positions in the value chain. To address the challenges stemming from the current global weak industrial foundation, China and ASEAN should focus on strengthening industrial basic capabilities, consolidating the resilience of industrial and supply chains, and ensuring smooth and orderly operations.

In the current global economic landscape characterized by insufficient endogenous growth momentum and weak demand, advancing the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road" represents a feasible path for achieving higher-level, more efficient, fairer, and sustainable development between China and ASEAN countries. There is extensive scope for cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in the realms of the digital economy, green development, and healthcare, offering immense prospects for the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road." By jointly nurturing new growth drivers and continuing their commitment to building a community with a shared future for humanity, China and ASEAN can script a new chapter in the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road."