This Day, That Year: July 25

Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

The China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations dialogue began when former foreign minister Qian Qichen attended the opening session of the 24th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur in July 1991 as a guest of the Malaysian government.

Qian also attended the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference in Singapore in July 1993. An item from China Daily showed him shaking hands with then US Secretary of State Warren Christopher on July 25, 1993, during a break from the conference.

In July 1996, China became a full dialogue partner of ASEAN.

The two sides forged a strategic partnership in 2003, bringing cooperation in various fields to new heights.

China and ASEAN signed a free-trade agreement in 2004, and in November, the two sides upgraded the protocol of the agreement to build the largest free-trade zone among developing countries.

In September 2012, China appointed Yang Xiuping as its first resident ambassador to ASEAN and established its Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta.

According to the General Administration of Customs, the trade volume between China and ASEAN increased from less than $8 billion in 1991 to $288 billion in the first half of this year. By the end of last year, China had been the largest trade partner of ASEAN for nine consecutive years, and ASEAN became China's second-largest trading partner in the first six months of this year, overtaking the United States for the first time since 1997.

In the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030 adopted last year, the two sides agreed to realize a goal of $1 trillion in two-way trade and $150 billion in investment by 2020.

China and ASEAN countries are also working toward an early conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, which is expected to boost trade and economic integration among ASEAN members and its six trading partners - China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.

Initiated in 2012, the project will create one of the world's largest trading blocs, accounting for 45 percent of the world population, 40 percent of global trade and around one-third of the world's GDP.ily 07/25/2019 page22)