BRI bonds, ASEAN spurring regional businesses

The tangible growth of the Belt and Road Initiative and Southeast Asia's soaring demand for the latest infrastructure projects will attract more Chinese State-owned enterprises to expand their market presence in the region in the coming years, said analysts and business leaders.

Despite the complex international environment and rising global uncertainties, trade and investment activities between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations continue to grow, reflecting the strong bond between the two sides and facilitating regional economic and social development, said Wang Jian, a professor of international trade at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

For example, trade value between China and ASEAN surged by 15.8 percent year-on-year in the first 10 months to 5.26 trillion yuan ($730.61 billion), accounting for 15.2 percent of China's total foreign trade. And China has become the second-largest investor in ASEAN, with its investment in 2021 reaching $14 billion, up 96 percent year-on-year, according to China's General Administration of Customs and Ministry of Commerce.