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China,ASEANCelebratethe25thAnniversaryofDialogueRelationsBySuherdjokoChineseAmbassadortoASEANXuBuhassaidChinaandASEANwillachievebroaderanddeepercooperationastheyhaveenteredthe“diamonddecade”oftheirrelations.Speakinginaseminar,whichmarksthe25thanniversaryofChina-ASEANDialogueRelations,inSemarang,CentralJavainJune2016,XuBusaidASEANstoodoutinitsneighboringregionasthepriorityofChina’sdiplomacy.XuBusaid2016wastheyear,whichmarkedtheopeningoftheASEANCommunity,thestartingofChina’s13thFive-YearPlanandthe25thanniversaryofChina-ASEANDialogueRelations.“Ifthefirst10yearswereseenasthe‘goldendecade’forChina-ASEANrelations,justasChinesePremierLiKeqiangputit,wehavenowusheredinaneweraforChina-ASEANrelations,the‘diamonddecade’,whichboastsbroaderanddeepercooperation,”theambassadorsaidinhisremarksduringtheseminar.SeveralexpertsfromChinaandASEANmembercountriesattendedtheevent,wheretheydiscussedvariousissues.ChinaandASEANestablishedtheStrategicPartnershipforPeaceandProsperityinOctober2003.XuBuexplainedthatsincethelaunchoftheirdialoguerelations25yearsago,ChinaandASEANhadmadegreatachievementsinpracticalcooperationacrossallfields.In2015,China-ASEANtradeaggregatetoppedUS$472billion,China-ASEANtwo-wayinvestmentamountedtomorethanUS$156billion,substantiallyincreasedpeople-to-peoplerelationsandthereweremorethan180,000exchangestudentssentbybothChinaandASEANcountries,headded.XuBusaidChinahadbeenASEAN’sbiggesttradingpartnerforsevenconsecutiveyears,whileASEANrankedasChina’sthirdlargesttradingpartnerforfourconsecutiveyears.Everyweek,hefurthersaid,thereweremorethan1,000flightsshuttlingbetweenChinaandASEANcountries.“Closereconomicties,greaterfinancinglinksandricherpeople-to-peopleexchangesbetweenChinaandASEANbondourdestiniesmuchtighterthaneverbefore,”theambassadorsaid.HewentontosaythatthebuildingoftheASEANCommunityhadprovidedafreshopportunitytofurtherdeepenChina-ASEANeconomiccooperationandtrade.“Theliberalizationandfacilitationoftradeingoodsandservicesandinvestmentinourregionhavereachedanewstage.Intermsoftradeingoods,ASEANhasgenerallyachievedfreemovementofgoodswithintheregion.ASEANconsumersareenjoyingawiderangeofchoiceinbothqualityandpriceofproducts.”Sinceadoptingapackageofpoliciesin1995onliberalizationoftradeinservices,ASEANhasformulatedninerelevantpolicysetsunderanASEANFrameworkAgreementonServices,whichhashelpedenhanceinstitutionaltransparencyandmarketpenetrationrates.“Theemploymentconditionsfordoctors,architects,tourguidesandotherprofessionalshavealsobeengreatlyimproved.Intermsofinvestment,theimplementationoftheASEANComprehensiveInvestmentAgreementhaseffectivelygivenrisetofreerintra-regionalmovementofcapitalandabetterbusiness-friendlyenvironment,”XuBusaid.HesaidthebuildingoftheASEANCommunityhadinjectedvitalityintotheupgradingoftheChina-ASEANfreetradeArea.“TheprotocolpronouncingthefullconclusionofChina-ASEANnegotiationsonupgradingourFTAwassignedinNovemberlastyear,anditwilltakeeffectinthecomingJuly.Broadermarkets,moreconvenienttermsoftradeandabetterinvestmentenvironmentinASEANwillhelpachieveaspeedyandsteadyupgradingoftheChina-ASEANFTA,”headded.XuBusaidthebuildingoftheASEANCommunityalsofacilitatedthenegotiationprocessoftheRegionalComprehensiveEconomicPartnership(RCEP),whichwascurrentlyatacrucialstage.“ChinafullyrespectsASEANcentralityinthenegotiationprocessandstandsreadytoworktogetherwithASEANtowardtheearlyconclusionofnegotiationswithinthisyearinthespiritofminimizingdifferencesandmaximizingconvergences,”saidtheambassador.HefurthersaidChinawasalsowillingtojoinhandswithASEANtoacceleratebilateralandmultilateraltradenegotiationsandcreateafavorabletradeandinvestmentenvironment,soastoincreasetheChina-ASEANtradevolumeto$1trillionandtwo-wayinvestmentto$150billionby2020.OntheimplementationoftheASEANEconomicCommunityBlueprint2025,XuBusaid,ChinawouldhelpASEANcountrieswithinfrastructuredevelopment,industrializationandindustrialupgrading.“WewillalsostrivetospeeduptheconstructionoftheChina-Laosrailway,China-ThailandrailwayandJakarta-Bandunghigh-speedrailwayprojectsandpromotetheconstructionofaTrans-Asianrailwaynetwork,soastoleveluptheconnectivityandpromotetradeandpersonnelexchangesinthisregion,”XuBusaid.Meanwhile,RokhminDahuri,professorinCoastalandOceanManagement,fromtheBogorInstituteofAgriculture(IPB),saidastableandpeacefulAsianregionwashighlyimportantandneedednotonlyfornationswithinthisregion,butalsofortheinternationalcommunityasawhole.“DespitearemarkableprogressineconomicdevelopmentachievedbybothChinaandASEANcountriesinthelasttwodecades,exceptforSingapore,BruneiDarussalam,andtosomeextentMalaysia,theremainingsevenASEANcountriesandalsoChinaarestillconfrontedwithhighunemployment,poverty,healthandsanitaryproblems,”saidRokhmin,whoisalsoPresidentoftheIndonesiaAquacultureSociety.Rokhminexplainedthatbasedongrossdomesticproduct(GDP)percapita,onlySingaporeandBruneiDarussalamhadachievedastatusasahigh-incomecountryastheirGDPpercapitawashigherthanUS$11,750.Meanwhile,onthebasisofGDPpercapitaandtechnologicalcapacity,itwasonlySingaporethathadachievedadevelopedcountrystatu