In 2025, amid rising global uncertainties marked by the resurgence of unilateralism and protectionism, disruptions to international trade and supply chains, and growing external interference in regional affairs, cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) continued to advance steadily against the tide. By remaining committed to openness, development and mutual benefit, China and ASEAN have worked in close partnership to further build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
Open Cooperation Delivers Tangible Gains
“The world is becoming increasingly turbulent, regional conflicts are intensifying, and uncertainties are growing,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country holds the rotating ASEAN chairmanship, said at the ASEAN Summit in October. His remarks reflected ASEAN’s strong collective resolve to safeguard regional peace, stability and open cooperation. Unity has translated into concrete outcomes.
China has consistently supported ASEAN centrality, working closely with ASEAN members to uphold the multilateral trading system and ensure stable and resilient regional industrial and supply chains. In the first 11 months of 2025, ASEAN remained China’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade growing 8.5 percent year on year.
Through high-level opening-up, China continued to share the opportunities of its vast market. In the first 10 months alone, China-ASEAN trade in agricultural and food products reached 51.3 billion U.S. dollars, up 8.9 percent year on year, while China’s imports of fresh and dried fruits from ASEAN exceeded 10 billion dollars, accounting for over two-thirds of its global imports in this category.
Cooperation has also expanded into emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy and green development, particularly with Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia, opening new avenues for innovation-driven growth.
Major connectivity projects, including the China-Laos Railway and Indonesia’s Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, have stimulated economic development along their routes.
Meanwhile, flagship industrial cooperation initiatives—such as the China-Malaysia “Two Countries, Twin Parks,” the China-Indonesia Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park—have continued to make steady progress, deepening industrial integration and boosting regional economic and social development.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn noted that sustained dialogue, shared visions and collective efforts have enabled ASEAN and China to translate common aspirations into real benefits for people across the region.
Cooperation Enters a New Institutional Phase
On Oct. 27, Guangxi Automobile Group exported its 5,000th complete vehicle to ASEAN, with new energy logistics vehicles and light trucks rolling off the production line in Liuzhou, south China. The milestone highlighted the growing vitality of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA). The following day, the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol was signed in Kuala Lumpur, marking a major step forward by elevating bilateral economic and trade cooperation to a new institutional level. The upgrade covers nine key areas, spanning traditional fields such as customs procedures, trade facilitation and standards, as well as emerging sectors including the digital economy, green economy, supply chain connectivity, competition and consumer protection, and support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The protocol signals a shift from conventional trade and investment liberalization toward deeper cooperation in digital transformation, green development, standards alignment and industrial chain integration.
Garibaldi Thohir, chairman of the China Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the upgrade would enhance competitiveness, attract sustainable investment and strengthen regional integration under an open, rules-based framework.
According to He Min, associate professor at China Foreign Affairs University, the CAFTA 3.0 protocol will further dismantle institutional barriers, promote mutual recognition of standards and deliver long-term, stable dividends for economic growth on both sides.
People-to-People Bonds Continue to Deepen
People-to-people exchanges have remained a cornerstone of China-ASEAN relations. On Dec. 9, cultural parades featuring lion dances and traditional performances brought together participants from China, Malaysia and other ASEAN countries along Jonker Street in Malacca, marking the conclusion of activities under the 2024–2025 China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Over the past two years, nearly 200 exchange activities have been jointly organized, strengthening mutual understanding and friendship. China has introduced an “ASEAN visa” and expanded mutual visa-free arrangements with several ASEAN countries, making cross-border travel easier and more frequent.
From booming tourism and lively cultural festivals to the rising popularity of Chinese micro-dramas across Southeast Asia, people-to-people connectivity has continued to flourish. As China and ASEAN look ahead to the fifth anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership in 2026, confidence in future cooperation remains strong. Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah, president of the Malaysian Senate, expressed optimism that ASEAN and China will continue working together to build a peaceful, prosperous and dynamic region for shared development.
