China News Service, Beijing, October 27th, title: Focusing on the recovery after the regional epidemic, where should China-ASEAN cooperation of "Thirty Years" be directed?

  China News Agency reporter Guo Chaokai Huang Yuqin

  On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, the 24th China-ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting was held in video format on the 26th.

Focusing on the next stage of cooperation between the two sides, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang put forward a number of initiatives at the meeting to provide new impetus for the quality and upgrading of China-ASEAN strategic partnership.

  The outside world has noticed that China's proposal focuses on the practical issues of economic recovery after the epidemic. From clarifying cooperation mechanisms to finding a starting point for cooperation, standing at the key node of "Thirty Years", it clarifies the specific direction and path of future cooperation between the two sides.

  Under the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the global development gap has continued to widen, which has also exacerbated the problems of insufficient and unbalanced regional development.

In this regard, the Chinese side proposed in the proposal that it is necessary to deepen the alignment of development strategies, enlarge the pie of common interests, and work together to share the fruits of development.

  “The impact of the epidemic on ASEAN countries varies, and countries with weak economic foundations and tourism as the pillar have been hit particularly hard.” Zhang Jie, a researcher at the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out, “How to bridge the development gap as soon as possible and Achieving economic recovery after the epidemic is a key issue facing countries in the region, and it is also a new opportunity for the docking of China and ASEAN development strategies."

  In the eyes of observers, in the process of economic recovery after the epidemic, the deepening of cooperation between China and ASEAN requires the institutional framework to play the role of “outlining and guiding”.

From promoting the early entry into force of the regional comprehensive economic partnership agreement, to launching the joint feasibility study of the follow-up negotiations on the upgrade of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, to launching China-ASEAN "multi-country and multi-park" cooperation, China has clarified the cooperation framework for both sides in the initiative. Ideas.

  Liu Chang, an assistant researcher at the Institute of American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, analyzed that a rule-based cooperation framework will further summarize the practical results of China-ASEAN cooperation and transform it into rules that both parties can abide by.

A mechanism-based cooperation framework will also establish a relatively stable expectation for both parties, which will help both parties to form a full consensus and advance cooperation more deeply and steadily.

  There is a cooperation framework as an institutional guarantee. In the future, where should China and ASEAN cooperate in economic recovery after the epidemic?

The outside world has noticed that the initiative proposed by the Chinese side has clarified two key points-innovation-driven and green cooperation.

  On the one hand, innovation is the first driving force leading development.

Focusing on innovation-driven, China proposes to build joint research platforms and innovation and entrepreneurship cooperation bases, plan digital economy cooperation priorities, and carry out the construction of big data platforms for geoscience information.

  "Observing the composition of trade between China and ASEAN, we can find that the growth potential of bilateral trade in traditional industries is becoming more and more limited." Guo Yanjun, director of the Institute of Asian Studies of China Foreign Affairs University, pointed out, "To improve China-ASEAN economic and trade relations in the future, we need to jointly discover new ideas. The growth areas of China. The emerging industries driven by innovation are expected to become the new starting point for China-ASEAN cooperation in economic recovery after the epidemic."

  Zhang Jie further stated that innovation-driven development is the general trend of global economic development, which will provide new impetus for high-quality development of China and ASEAN in the post-epidemic era, and will also help both parties effectively respond to external shocks in the process of economic recovery.

  On the other hand, coping with climate change, protecting the ecological environment, and promoting low-carbon economic and social transformation are also common issues facing China and ASEAN countries.

Focusing on green cooperation, China proposes that the two sides can help maintain global and regional biodiversity, promote the transformation and upgrading of the energy industry and economic structure, and create green industrial parks by strengthening cooperation in mangrove protection.

  Guo Yanjun analyzed that green cooperation has always been a priority area of ​​cooperation between China and ASEAN, and its importance is now more prominent in the context of China's "dual carbon" goal.

In the process of economic recovery after the epidemic, the cooperation between China and ASEAN on green development is of practical significance whether it is to protect the ecological environment itself or to promote the transformation and upgrading of development methods.

  Liu Chang pointed out that mangroves are officially recognized as carbon sinks by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Both parties strengthen the protection of mangroves. On the one hand, it protects the diversification of the environment and ecology. The goal of "carbon" was achieved.

As a representative country and region in terms of biodiversity, China and ASEAN have broad prospects for green cooperation in the future.

  From the beginning of the dialogue process in 1991, to the promotion of the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership in 2003, and to the present "Thirty Years", the trade scale between China and ASEAN has increased 85 times in 30 years, and has become each other's largest trading partner. Historic breakthrough.

Facing the next 30 years, from clarifying the cooperation mechanism to finding a starting point for cooperation, the path of cooperation between China and ASEAN in economic recovery after the epidemic has been clearly visible.

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