On 27 October 2023, Mr Zhu Jing, Charge d’Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, published a signed article entitled "Jointly Build a Closer China-ASEAN Community of a Shared Future by Overcoming Difficulties in Solidarity and Pursuing Common Development in Harmony" in China Daily. In the article, Mr Zhu elaborates the core content of the white paper titled “A Global Community of Shared Future: China’s Proposals and Actions”, introduces the fruitful results achieved by China and ASEAN in building a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, and amicable homeland, and looks forward to the future of China-ASEAN Community of a Shared Future. The full text is as follows: 

Not long ago, China's State Council Information Office released a white paper titled A Global Community of Shared Future: China's Proposals and Actions, which introduced in a systematic manner the theoretical base, practice and development of a global community of shared future. Ten years ago, facing a question raised by the world, by history, and by the times: “What has happened to the world and how should we respond”, Chinese President Xi Jinping, out of his broad strategic vision, outstanding political wisdom and strong sense of responsibility as the leader of a great country and a great political party, propounded creatively the idea of building a global community of shared future, and called for building an open and inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity.

As an important part of building a global community of shared future, President Xi Jinping proposed to build a closer China-ASEAN community of a shared future when he visited Indonesia at the same time. Over the decade, China and ASEAN, facing the complicated and evolving international situation, have been committed to treating each other with sincerity, mutual assistance, mutual benefit, coordination and inclusiveness, and embarked on a right path featuring longstanding good-neighborliness and shared progress and prosperity. At the Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations in November 2021, President Xi Jinping proposed to jointly build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, and amicable homeland, which is highly compatible with the idea of a global community of shared future, and reflects the idea in China’ s neighborhood diplomacy, driving China-ASEAN relations towards the direction of overcoming difficulties in solidarity and pursuing common development in harmony.

China has long been committed to maintaining regional peace and stability and to building a peaceful and tranquil home with ASEAN. Peace and development remain the theme of the times and a strategic choice for China. China took the lead in joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) twenty years ago, and has nurtured the Asian way of seeking consensuses through consultation, non-interference in internal affairs, and accommodating each other's comfort level, together with all other the countries in the region. China is willing once again to take the lead in signing the Treaty on Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) so as to maintain long-term security and stability in the region. China and ASEAN are committed to the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and have concluded the second reading of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea text, which has demonstrated our common desire and firm determination to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. There is no paradise of absolute security in the world, and the security of one country cannot be built on the turmoil of others. China and ASEAN have insisted on resolving differences through peaceful consultation, enhancing political mutual trust through dialogue, and deepening mutual ties through economic and trade cooperation, setting a model of good-neighbourly friendship and cooperation, as well as contributing positively to peace and stability in the region and the world.

China has always aimed for common development in the world and a prosperous home for China and ASEAN. Economic globalisation is a major trend in history, and decoupling and protectionism are not in the interests of all countries, nor do they work at all. As early as in 1997, when the Asian financial crisis erupted, China was in the same boat with ASEAN countries to tide over the difficulties, and acted as the "lynch pin" for the Asian economy. At present, China-ASEAN economic and trade relations are deeply integrated and developing together. China has been ASEAN's largest trading partner for fourteen consecutive years, and ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for three years in a row. In 2022, trade volume between the two sides reached USD 975.3 billion, an increase of 11.2% year-on-year, and an expansion of 1.2 times in ten years. The "Belt and Road" co-operation projects such as the The Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, China-Laos Railway, Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor have taken root and blossomed in the ASEAN region, bringing tangible benefits to ASEAN peoples. The two sides are actively promoting the China-ASEAN FTA 3.0 negotiations, pushing for the full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and working together to firmly support free trade and open market.

China has always been a staunch champion for enhancing exchange and mutual learning, pursuing common development in harmony, and building an amicable and beautiful home together with ASEAN. China builds relations with neighboring countries following the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and with ASEAN countries in particular, we always get each other’ s back, bear similar ideas in mind, and adhere to openness and inclusiveness. Amity between peoples holds the key to the relationship between countries, and such amity is strengthened through heart-to-heart bonds. The pre-pandemic visa policies for people from ASEAN countries travelling to China have been fully reinstated, and flights between China and the 10 ASEAN members are being restored in an orderly way. The two sides are developing a vision of educational cooperation for 2030, and deepening cooperation in areas including talent training, scientific research and green development. The Chinese side will continue to carry out the “Bridge of the Future” Young Leaders Training Campus between China and ASEAN, and invite 1000 young leaders from ASEAN to take part in training and exchanges to China in the next five years. Through opportunities such as China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges in 2024, the two sides will further promote exchanges in the fields of culture, tourism, training, youth development etc., so as to make our civilizations more integrated and people-to-people bonds stronger.    

As comprehensive strategic partners, China and ASEAN have achieved fruitful results in building a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable homeland together, laying solid foundation for building a closer China-ASEAN community of a shared future. China-Singapore relationship, as one of the important elements of this endeavor, keeps making its own contributions. The path of success outlined by mutual learning and win-win cooperation ushered in by China and Singapore together, has not only given a stronger push to the respective development and revitalization of our two countries, but also served as an example for cooperation in the region. With China-Singapore relations elevated to an “All Round High Quality Future Oriented Partnership”, we are actively exploring a way of “high-quality” cooperation which takes root in but also goes beyond bilateral relations. On international issues and regional cooperation in particular, China and Singapore share similar ideas, not only calling for more support for multilateralism and free trade, but also putting words in action and promoting free trade levels between the two countries. We have strong belief that China and Singapore, with our hands joined together, will keep enriching the meaning of China-ASEAN Community of a Shared Future, and making more side notes for the idea of “overcoming difficulties in solidarity and pursuing common development in harmony”!