ASEAN-China strategic partnership vision 2030

We, the Heads of State/Government of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the People's Republic of China, gathered in Singapore on Nov 14, 2018, at the 21st ASEAN-China Summit to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity;

Recalling our commitment to fostering friendly relations, mutually beneficial cooperation and good neighbourliness between ASEAN and China, under the Joint Declaration of the Heads of State/Government of ASEAN and the People's Republic of China on Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity signed on 8 October 2003 in Indonesia, and the Joint Statement of the 16th ASEAN-China Summit on the Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership adopted on 9 October 2013 in Brunei Darussalam;

Recognising that over the past fifteen years, the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership has contributed significantly to regional peace, stability and prosperity, and expanded the broad cooperation agenda between ASEAN and China, thereby strengthening ASEAN-China relations which are among the most substantial, dynamic and mutually beneficial relationships;

Recognising that ASEAN-China relations have entered into a new era with the realisation of the ASEAN Community in 2015 and ASEAN's development over the past five decades and the achievements of China's reform and opening up over the last four decades;

Recalling that the 20th ASEAN-China Summit in Manila, Philippines on 13 November 2017 agreed to issue the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030 so as to chart the future direction and contribute to building an open, inclusive, and sustainable world that enjoys peace, security and common prosperity;

Further reaffirming our mutual respect for each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with international law, and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states; and reaffirming ASEAN countries' adherence to one-China policy;

Recognising that the current peace and stability in the region should not be taken for granted, it is important to strengthen mutual trust and confidence, and improve cooperation between ASEAN and China;

Hereby agree on the following:

Overall ASEAN-China Relations

1. Advance the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership to new heights by forging closer cooperation for a mutually beneficial future of ASEAN and China, including through the full and effective implementation of the 2016-2020 Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity and its successor documents. ASEAN notes with appreciation China's efforts to promote closer ASEAN-China cooperation, including China's vision to build an ASEAN-China community with a shared future;

2. Promote peace, security and stability in the region, including through the further deepening of strategic relations, and promote mutual trust and confidence, peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, without resorting to the threat or use of force, and the maintaining of friendly dialogue and consultations including high-level exchanges;

3. Strengthen the strategic partnership with mutually-beneficial cooperation on ASEAN integration and community-building, including through capacity building and resource mobilisation, synergising common priorities in the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 and China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as part of efforts to synergise the various connectivity strategies in the region in a manner that would be mutually beneficial. ASEAN notes with appreciation China's announcement on "3+X Cooperation Framework" comprising the three pillars of political-security cooperation, economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and supported by mutually agreed areas of cooperation;

4. Advance a strategic partnership that continues to adhere to the fundamental principles, shared values and norms that have guided ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations since its establishment in 1991, including those enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and the East Asia Summit (EAS) Declaration on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations (Bali Principles) as well as universally recognised principles of international law;

5. Stand firm against growing protectionist and anti-globalisation sentiments, and reaffirm that international trade and investment are important engines for sustainable economic growth and development, the reduction of social inequality, and securing a better future for our people;

6. Enhance the complementarities between ASEAN Vision 2025 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including through further South-South cooperation;

7. Reiterate our commitment to supporting and assisting ASEAN's efforts to narrow the development gap among ASEAN Member States, including through the implementation of the IAI Work Plan III, as well as other bilateral, sub-regional and regional cooperation between China and ASEAN Member States and promote ASEAN integration consistent with the ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together;

8. Welcome the continued strengthening of cooperation under relevant sub-regional frameworks and cooperation mechanisms to support efforts to narrow the development gap in the region;

Political and Security Cooperation

9. Reaffirm the long-standing friendship between ASEAN Member States and China, and respect the independent choice of development paths, according to national circumstances;

10. Enhance mutual trust and understanding through dialogue, confidence building measures and cooperation in defence, security, non-traditional security, and transnational threats;

11. Reaffirm the importance of maintaining ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture and strengthen regional and security cooperation by continuing discussions and coordination to uphold an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture through the various ASEAN-led mechanisms such as ASEAN Plus Three (APT), East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus);

12. Enhance high-level exchanges, contacts, and policy communication, and expand exchanges of visits of all levels and promote the sharing of experiences on governance;

13. Reaffirm our commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability and safety in the South China Sea. Reiterate our respect for and commitment to (i) freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the South China Sea; (ii) resolve the territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned, and in accordance with universally-recognised principles of international law including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); and (iii) exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities, to avoid complicating or escalating disputes and disrupting peace and stability;

14. Further reaffirm our commitment to fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety, and work towards the early conclusion and adoption of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) based on consensus. We noted that the Framework of the COC adopted by the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN Member States and China in August 2017 was an important step towards the conclusion of an effective COC. We will continue to build trust and confidence through practical dialogue and maritime cooperation, including through the MFA-to-MFA Hotline, and the implementation of the Joint Statement on the Application of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) in the South China Sea and the Leaders’ Declaration on a Decade of Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea (2017-2027);

15. Deepen practical defence cooperation between ASEAN and China under the ADMM-Plus to enhance mutual understanding and friendship, and to address common transnational and non-traditional security challenges that threaten the region’s peace and stability. We welcome the successful conduct of the inaugural ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise to build confidence between ASEAN and Chinese navies;

16. Strengthen anti-corruption cooperation through relevant mechanisms;

17. Acknowledge the growing need to strengthen collective regional resilience and cooperation to effectively address non-traditional security threats, and transnational challenges including terrorism and transnational crimes;

Economic Cooperation

18. Acknowledge China currently as ASEAN's largest trading partner, third largest external source of foreign direct investment (FDI), and an important source of foreign tourists, and welcome continued strong and growing levels of trade, investment and tourism flows between ASEAN and China;

19. Intensify efforts to meet the joint target of US$1 trillion in trade volume and US$150 billion in investment by 2020 through the deepening of economic linkages and improvement in connectivity, and look forward to yielding more fruitful results in trade and investment by 2030;

20. Strengthen trade, investment, and tourism flows between ASEAN and China, including through the implementation of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) and the Protocol to Amend the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Certain Agreements thereunder between ASEAN and China (the ACFTA Upgrading Protocol), including the completion of the Future Work Programme under the ACFTA Upgrading Protocol, and explore new initiatives to strengthen and facilitate ASEAN-China trade and investment flows and enhance the business environment, including exploring possible upgrades to the ACFTA, and cooperation in new areas such as e-commerce, competition and intellectual property;

21. Reaffirm our commitment to intensifying our efforts to finalise the negotiations for a modern, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually-beneficial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement that will contribute significantly to the growth of global trade, enhance economic growth, provide more jobs and improve the livelihood of people in the RCEP region in an inclusive way;

22. Strengthen physical and institutional connectivity to bring markets closer together in line with the strategic objectives in MPAC 2025, as well as improve digital connectivity, including through supporting the implementation of ASEAN ICT Master Plan 2020;

23. Deepen financial cooperation including through active involvement of international financial institutions, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), mobilising private capital, and enhancing capacity building to support infrastructure development in the region;

24. Continue to promote dialogue and exchanges in maritime economic cooperation through relevant platforms on the basis of the principles of inclusiveness, mutual benefit and respect for international law. This may, where appropriate, include initiatives such as China's Belt and Road Initiative;

25. Reaffirm our commitment to encouraging airlines from both ASEAN Member States and China to tap their full potential by utilising the ASEAN-China Air Transport Agreement (AC-ATA) and its Protocols I and II so as to realise stronger regional connectivity and to work towards the ultimate goal of the full liberalisation of the ASEAN-China Air Services regime;

26. Promote the establishment of an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) ecosystem in the region that supports and advances innovation, including through the timely granting and protection of IPR, as well as by facilitating cross border IP commercialisation and utilisation;

27. Explore science, technology and innovation (STI) cooperation and collaboration in areas of mutual interests including to seize the opportunities from the digital economy and technological innovation, and address the potential common challenges of these new technologies, and thus achieve innovation-driven development in areas that include telecommunications, e-commerce, and smart city development. In this context, we welcome the establishment of the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) as well as China's support for the ASCN initiative;

28. Promote production capacity, technology and innovation as measures to enhance Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs), and promote growth in the region; in this regard, support the implementation of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development (2016-2025) through sharing best practices and experiences, on the development of MSMEs, and convening of capacity building activities such as seminars, workshops, and symposiums;

29. Establish a formal high-level framework of cooperation to strengthen, deepen and broaden cooperation in tourism between ASEAN and China;

30. Engage in the process of economic globalisation and facilitate further economic integration, including to support the long-term goal of building an East Asia community for the mutual benefit of people in the region;

31. Recognise the importance of a regional approach in boosting clean energy development under the new ASEAN-China Clean Energy Capacity Building Programme and Study on Clean Coal Utilisation Road Map in ASEAN;

32. Encourage partnership on blue economy between ASEAN and China and promote marine ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of the ocean, seas and marine resources, including cooperation in marine science and technology, ocean observation and hazard mitigation, as well as ocean economy development;

33. Explore the opportunities that will arise from new scientific, digital and technological innovation, as well as address the potential common challenges of these new technologies to further economic growth; and in this context, welcoming the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation 2018 as an important initiative that has injected new impetus into ASEAN-China cooperation in innovation;

Socio-Cultural Cooperation

34. Strengthen education innovation and academic exchanges and linkages between ASEAN and China, including through the ASEAN-China Education Cooperation Week;

35. Encourage people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between ASEAN and China for a better future, and in this regard, continue to promote youth exchanges in the fields of languages, culture, art and heritage with a view to enhancing mutual understanding and further deepen friendship as well as to hold training courses for young professionals at different levels and in different areas through relevant educational institutions;

36. Strengthen cooperation in environmental protection, water resources management, sustainable development, climate change, including through the implementation of the ASEAN-China Strategy on Environmental Cooperation 2016 — 2020 to support the relevant strategic measures of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Blueprint 2025;

37. Reaffirm the importance and raise awareness of ASEAN-China cultural relations and encourage opportunities for cultural exchanges. Continue to promote awareness of preserving and protecting the cultural heritage of ASEAN and China;

38. Strengthen constructive dialogue and cooperation to promote active ageing and be better prepared to deal with the challenges of an aging society; and

39. Promote policy communication among governments and welcome China’s efforts to provide assistance to ASEAN Member States, where appropriate, in implementing objectives under the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including poverty eradication in all forms and dimensions, in accordance with respective sustainable development goals.