State leaders of China and ASEAN member countries celebrate the 15th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations in 2006.

State leaders of China and ASEAN member countries at the third China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the partnership between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and, in view of that, China wants to increase the mutual trust with ASEAN members and beneficial cooperation in all fields, a Chinese official remarked recently.

There have been great changes in the world over the past 20 years and China's relations with ASEAN countries have developed over a wide range, State Councilor Dai Bingguo, said at a reception marking the 20th anniversary, at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, in late August.

Those relations may have been affected by global political and economic shifts and have had their twists and turns, Dai continued, but he praised China-ASEAN relations and said that this is the China-ASEAN Friendly Exchange Year.

"China is willing to promote connections on the seas with ASEAN countries, and make this a new area in China-ASEAN cooperation," he added.

It was not until 1990, and ASEAN's 23rd anniversary, that Indonesia restored diplomatic relations with China, which laid a foundation for further friendly ties with ASEAN countries.

Later Singapore, Brunei and others established official relations with China, and China had diplomatic ties with all the ASEAN members. By then, China-ASEAN relations had entered a new era of mutual trust and partnerships.

China and ASEAN began their formal dialogue in 1991 and, in these 20 years, they have made some substantial progress in economic exchanges.

China is now ASEAN's top trade partner and ASEAN has replaced Japan as China's third largest trade partner.

Bilateral investment has continued to grow over the past 20 years, and amounted to $80 billion by the end of June of this year.

To date, China has invested close to $13 billion in ASEAN countries, in all, so they are obviously an important destination for Chinese investment.

China announced in 2009 that it would provide credit for ASEAN countries and set up a $10 billion China-ASEAN Fund for investment cooperation.

So far, China has provided $12.2 billion worth of loans to ASEAN for infrastructure projects, such as bridges, roads, and power stations. And ASEAN has become China's fifth largest export market for the service trade.

When the Asian financial crisis hit in 1997, China insisted on not letting the yuan depreciate and so, was able to weather the storm with ASEAN countries, some of whom have said that China's support during that difficult time was impressive.

In 2004, after the disastrous tsunami hit Indonesia, China sent rescue teams and offered $650 million worth of aid.

After the financial crisis of 2008, China decided to set up that investment cooperation fund in spite of a slowdown in its own economy, and to provide $15 billion worth of credit.

China has also provided $270 million worth of aid to underdeveloped countries in the ASEAN area, such as Cambodia, Laos, and Burma.

At the same time, China has received much valuable support and help from ASEAN countries in times of difficulty such as the SARS and Avian Flu outbreaks.

Now, as part of the series of activities surrounding the 20th anniversary of the partnership, China's foreign affairs and education ministries held a China-ASEAN friendship quiz in September, with support from the Guangxi regional government.

It drew 25 contestants from China and ASEAN member countries, who traveled to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, on Oct 23 for various activities.

Yu Junhong, a contestant from Singapore, said that the event had given him some wonderful memories. "I'll remember China and Guangxi, and keep my friends here always in mind."

(China Daily 10/20/2011 page18)