China and ASEAN expect new partnership after COVID-19 pandemic (4)

The Symposium on New Opportunities & New Partnership - Cooperation between ASEAN and China after the COVID-19 Pandemic was held on Aug.28 in Beijing.

The meeting, jointly hosted by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), the Royal Thai Embassy and China Foundation for International Studies (CFIS), sought to offer suggestions on ways for China and ASEAN countries to jointly fight the epidemic, strengthen cooperation in public health governance and other fields, bring back regional economic vitality, and maintain the healthy and stable development of the bilateral strategic partnership.

Chen Dehai, Director of the Department of Asian Affairs and the Secretary General of the ACC, said at the symposium that ASEAN countries and China are both meeting the challenges squarely and have wasted no time in strengthening policy coordination, and are attempting to seek new development in the changing environment.

Forging toward sustainable development

The year 2020 marks the ASEAN-China Year of Digital Economy Cooperation. Currently, the new round of technological revolutions and industrial transformation is emerging, and the digital economy is giving China and ASEAN countries new opportunities to further cooperate on this agenda.

Chen emphasized that the role of digital technology has never been more critical in the fight against the pandemic and the road to the "new normal."

Liu Qing, Director of the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), also said China and ASEAN countries will take the opportunities provided by digital economy development to create new highlights in 5G, e-commerce and long-distance education, and to build a smart city alliance.

In addition to digital economy cooperation, economic ties between ASEAN and China will also be further strengthened. According to data from China's General Administration of Customs, China's trade with ASEAN stood at 2.09 trillion yuan ($299 billion) in the first six months of 2020, up 5.6 percent year-on-year, making ASEAN China's biggest trading partner during this period.

Jose Tavares, Director General of ASEAN Cooperation, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that through partnership between countries, ASEAN and China can play a stronger role in synergizing cooperation in the region.

Working together on public health

The symposium offered recommendations and methods on how to strengthen joint pandemic prevention and control, enhance public health cooperation between ASEAN and China, and how to find new driving forces, restore regional confidence and economic vitality in the post pandemic period, which is critical to maintaining the healthy and steady development of the ASEAN-China strategic partnership.

Zheng Zhijie, Chairman of the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, noted during the meeting that China and ASEAN countries have basically controlled the pandemic.

“China is not only able to respond quickly to its domestic epidemic situation, but can also bring more positive power to ASEAN countries,” said Zheng.

Ngeow Chow-Bing, Director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya, said that China has provided massive amounts of medical supplies to various countries, including ASEAN countries, to assist them in their efforts to fight COVID-19.

“ASEAN countries are willing to work together on the Health Silk Road, which enables countries to form bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms,” he noted.

ASEAN and China are good neighbors, friends and partners, Chen said, explaining that the good mutual relationship will continue to deliver tangible benefits for two billion people, while promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond.

“Under the ‘New Normal’ situation, China and ASEAN countries need to foster greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and ASEAN development plans to realize sustainable development goals,” according to Chen.