China-ASEAN relations set a good example for the rest of the world

Drawing on the inspiration of the ancient Silk Road trade routes linking China and countries in Southeast Asia, President Xi Jinping proposed in 2013 that China and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations cooperate to build a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Seven years on, China and the 10 ASEAN members enjoy growing connectivity, deepening economic integration, robust business ties and closer people-to-people exchanges.

Xi re-affirmed the importance of China-ASEAN ties in his speech at the opening ceremony of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit on Friday. Noting that China and the members of ASEAN "share close affinity and longstanding friendly relations", he said that ASEAN plays an ever-growing role in China's global connections and in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.