Angyu  Jiang,  Qianfan Shi

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 at the end of 2019, the whole world has been greatly impacted. China and ASEAN countries, as friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, facing the impact of the new crown epidemic, it is necessary to establish a closer and cooperative community with a shared future to cope with the threat of the new crown epidemic.

The China-ASEAN Community with a shared future depends on the higher-level and more mature strategic partnership between China and ASEAN, and the bilateral exchanges and structural relations between China and ASEAN have changed significantly since then. In terms of politics, China and ASEAN countries have emphasized their political trust and support for each other in many political dialogues. Moreover, China has also actively sought pragmatic dialogue and cooperation with ASEAN countries. For example, the establishment of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism has become the latest epitome of pragmatic political dialogue and cooperation between China and ASEAN in the new era.

China and ASEAN have formed a relationship of mutual respect and rich strategic connotation in the political and security fields. While adhering to the central position of the multilateral framework in the ASEAN region, China supports the construction and development of the ASEAN Community, constantly enriches the content of strategic partners, and maintains regional peace, development and prosperity, including the establishment of the “Lancang-Mekong Cooperation” sub-regional cooperation mechanism. In 2017, the "2+7 cooperation framework" was upgraded to the "3+X cooperation framework". In 2018, it signed the "Vision of China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership in 2030", with political and security cooperation, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges as the three pillars, China will chart the future course with its neighbouring countries and further synergize the "Belt and Road" Initiative with the ASEAN Vision 2025.

From the perspective of trade and investment, the scale of trade and investment between China and ASEAN has been continuously expanded. China has taken the lead in negotiating with ASEAN and establishing China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. ASEAN is also the priority direction and important partner of the “Belt and Road” Initiative's international cooperation. In promoting inter-governmental policy communication, China provides assistance to ASEAN countries to achieve the goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda in 2030, including poverty eradication.

With the close development of political mutual trust and economic and trade relations, personnel exchanges between China and ASEAN have been continuously enhanced, and the innovative mechanism of cultural exchanges between China and ASEAN has laid an institutional foundation for cultural exchanges between the two sides. This kind of exchange is particularly reflected in tourism, language learning, border area exchanges, customs clearance and transit procedures, etc. China and ASEAN countries have formed more than 200 sister cities, and the China-ASEAN community of shared future and the East Asia Community are closely linked. At the same time, China will further align the “Belt and Road” Initiative with the ASEAN Vision 2025, build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, and chart a line of defense for the future development of our relations. China and ASEAN hold the 10+1 Leaders’ Summit every year, and China joins the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia,etc. While constantly defending global free trade and investment.

In November, 2019, China and ASEAN issued the Joint Statement on Synergizing the Belt and Road Initiative with the ASEAN Connectivity Master Plan 2025, laying a solid foundation for regional economic development and prosperity, strengthening the foundation for regional economic development and prosperity, China will synergize the "Belt and Road" Initiative with ASEAN overall development plan, so that China and ASEAN countries will draw strengths from other side and achieve interconnected development. In October, 2019, the Protocol to Upgrade the China-ASEAN FREE Trade Area came into full force for all the members of the agreement, lowering the threshold in terms of rules of origin, trade customs clearance, trade in services and investment, further releasing the dividends of the free trade area and giving a strong boost to China-ASEAN agricultural trade.

In his speech entitled "Building a Closer China-ASEAN Destiny Community" delivered at the opening ceremony of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, President Xi Jinping emphasized that he was willing to build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road with ASEAN countries in 2013 and work together to build a closer China-ASEAN Destiny Community. In the past seven years, China-ASEAN relations have become the most successful and dynamic model in Asia-Pacific regional cooperation and a vivid example of promoting the construction of a community of human destiny.

China regards ASEAN as the priority direction of neighboring diplomacy and a key area for building a "Belt and Road” Initiative with high quality, and promotes cooperation with ASEAN in various fields to maintain the sound momentum of prosperity and development in the region. By enhancing strategic mutual trust, deepening the docking development plan, relying on the construction of new land and sea channels, strengthening infrastructure interconnection and cooperation, accelerating the construction of existing economic corridors and key projects, and actively building China-ASEAN multi-mode transport alliance. To strengthen economic and trade cooperation, by taking measures to facilitate personnel exchanges and goods circulation on the premise of ensuring epidemic prevention and control, and promoting cooperation between China and the East ASEAN Growth Area. To promote scientific and technological innovation by deepening digital economic cooperation, creating more new cooperation highlights in smart cities, 5G, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, big data, block chain, telemedicine and other fields, strengthening data security protection and policy communication and coordination, and building China-ASEAN Information Port to create a "Digital Silk Road”. To upgrade cooperation against epidemic diseases, strengthen public health capacity building, strengthen policy dialogue, information sharing and vaccine cooperation, and jointly build an emergency medical material reserve and a public health emergency contact mechanism.

The efficient mobilization and organizational coordination capabilities demonstrated by the China-ASEAN Community of Shared Future fully demonstrate that after the outbreak, China and ASEAN countries should continue to adhere to the concept of building a neighboring community of shared future, build a strong fortress against the shock wave of "anti-globalization", and strive to be full of only by grasping the initiative in the process of world political and economic development in a variable world can the harm of the epidemic be overcome.

（Angyu Jiang，Associate Professor, Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, P. R. China. Qianfan Shi, Scholar, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, P. R. China）