China, ASEAN to share new opportunities with RCEP in effect: experts

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 14, 2021 shows a view of the container wharf of Qinzhou Port, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)

NANNING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Experts in attendance at a think tank forum called on China and ASEAN to strengthen cooperation to better make use of the opportunities brought by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.

The 13th China-ASEAN Think Tank Strategic Dialogue Forum was held on Wednesday in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with over 200 government officials, experts and scholars from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) taking part both online and offline.

Under the theme of new opportunities and a new future for China-ASEAN cooperation under the background of the RCEP, experts shared opinions and offered advice regarding China's "dual circulation" development paradigm, bilateral cooperation in the post-pandemic era, cooperation on the green economy and sustainable development, and deepening cooperation on the digital economy.

Experts believe that implementing the RCEP and building an open cooperation system under the challenges brought by the changing international environment and the COVID-19 pandemic are the common interests of China and ASEAN member states.

Gao Peiyong, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, called on think tanks from China and ASEAN to pay more attention to the long-term strategic issues of regional development, explore new ideas, paradigms and paths of globalization, and provide more suggestions regarding multilateralism and free trade.

Zhang Yantong, vice chairman of the Counsellors' Office of the State Council, said via video link that the two sides should seize the opportunity to make full use of the RCEP rules so as to smoothen circulation between China and ASEAN, bring more benefits to enterprises and people, and jointly create a successful example of regional cooperation.

Dang Xuan Thanh, vice president of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, said via video link that ASEAN and China share common development goals and face common challenges like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, thus the two sides need closer ties to ensure the stability of supply and production chains to adapt to changes in the regional and international environments.