In the wake of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visits to Indonesia and Malaysia from Oct. 2-8 during which he attended the 21st informal economic leaders’ meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Premier Li Keqiang is visiting Brunei, Thailand and Vietnam and will take part in the East Asia leaders meetings from Oct. 9-15. These two consecutive visits by the two top leaders demonstrate the importance of Southeast Asia in China’s international strategy, and the visits have manifested China’s good-neighbor policy.

The visits may be examined from three perspectives.

Firstly, they are significant in terms of the bilateral relations between China and individual Southeast Asian countries. China hopes to build comprehensive strategic partnerships based on tangible cooperation.
Secondly, the visits will determine China’s cooperation with ASEAN, which has developed over the last ten years.

Thirdly, the visits concern APEC’s trans-regional cooperation. China and seven of the ASEAN members are playing an important role in promoting APEC’s restructuring and institutional development.
The visits to Southeast Asian countries by top Chinese leaders are not the cascade effect produced by the APEC and East Asia Summits, but the natural product of bilateral relations between China and these countries. Such visits have contributed greatly to bilateral relations this year. For example, China has signed action plans for comprehensive strategic partnerships with Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar; updated those with Indonesia and Malaysia; and built a new strategic relationship with Brunei.

Perhaps even more importantly, enhanced bilateral relations are easing the tension in the South China Sea through concrete confidence building measures. This April, CNOOC signed a Cooperation Agreement with Petroleum Brunei to enhance cooperation between China and Brunei in the energy sector. On Oct. 2 2013, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on fisheries was signed between the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry of Indonesia and China’s Ministry of Agriculture during Xi Jinping’s visit to Indonesia, under which the two countries will cooperate to counter illegal and unregulated fishing. This is part of China’s joint development initiative in the disputed Nansha Islands area, which will be conducive to the peaceful solution of competitive claims by bilateral negotiation.

Indonesia and China have reached many strategic consensuses. The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, visited China in March last year. As the biggest and most influential member of ASEAN, Indonesia is the most capable country in shaping ASEAN’s agenda. China’s relationship with ASEAN is largely reflected in its relations with Indonesia. Hopefully, China will update its relationship with ASEAN to a comprehensive strategic partnership based on its relationships with members and good-neighbor amity in the near future.

Malaysia and Thailand are China’s top trade partners in Southeast Asia. China and Malaysia have set a new trade goal of US$160 billion by 2017, an ambitious project as both countries are undergoing domestic economic transformations.

As a country traditionally friendly to China, Thailand has played an effective coordinator role between China and ASEAN. It has helped to neutralize the South China Sea dispute, resulting in progresses on a Code of Conduct based on DOC.

The President of Vietnam paid a national visit to China this June, and agreed to enhance strategic cooperation with China in many fields, which can be further advanced by Li Keqiang’s visit.
This comprehensive strategic partnership can only be enriched by specific action plans. Not only should mutual relations be enhanced, but collaboration on tangible issues should also be improved, such as political communication, security cooperation, economic development, financial support and cultural exchange. Achievements between China and Southeast Asian countries over the past decade in such areas have laid a solid foundation, though greater efforts are imperative.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership. Both sides have agreed to build an upgraded version of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, which can be seen as the forerunner to upgraded China-ASEAN relations, and will produce more pragmatic results.

China has proposed an Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Maritime Silk Road, aiming to promote regional interconnectivity and economic integration. These between China and ASEAN will form a binding mechanism for China-ASEAN cooperation, and reinforce the bond of mutual interest in specific actions.

Cooperation in security and cultural exchange will be a new growth point for China’s good-neighbor policy. In recent years, China has promoted common security and mutual trust in non-traditional security issues through joint military exercises in various frameworks, such as the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership and ADMM-Plus mechanisms. Next year is the year of China-ASEAN cultural exchanges. China will provide 15,000 government scholarships over the next three to five years, and inject capital into special regional cooperation funds. Both sides should boost the role of the China-ASEAN Youth Association and China-ASEAN Network of Think Tanks. This will lay a cultural foundation for good-neighbor policy.

China’s “balance between upholding justice and pursuing interests” and “placing justice above interests” will contribute to building a community of common destiny between China and ASEAN members. It has also won the affirmation and approval of neighboring countries. China’s good-neighbor policy is not a one-way street but an interconnected highway, which will continue to push forward China’s relations with neighboring countries. This is not only in the interest of all countries concerned, but will also be welcomed by the international community.

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