On April 15, during talks with Su Lin, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of Vietnam, Chinese President Xi Jinping specifically noted that this year marks the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with countries in the region to promote the building of a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Against the backdrop of the current turbulent international landscape, this statement carries strong practical relevance and far-reaching strategic significance. As the most dynamic integration bloc in the Asia-Pacific region, China and the ten ASEAN nations are not only geographically close and culturally akin, but also share broad and solid common interests in maintaining regional stability, promoting common development, and resisting unilateral bullying. History and reality have repeatedly demonstrated that the close unity between China and ASEAN nations is a blessing for the region and a boon for the world.
Su Lin’s choice to make China the destination of his first official visit since taking office is both a positive response to President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Vietnam last year and a concrete embodiment of the simple principle that “neighbors grow closer through frequent interaction.” In international relations, the sequencing of leaders’ visits often reflects the prioritization of foreign policy. Su Lin’s choice clearly signals to the world that, in Vietnam’s foreign strategy, relations with China occupy a position of “top priority” and “objective necessity.” This is not a tactical expedient, but a strategic choice.
This strategic prioritization is rooted in the two parties’ shared socialist path and similar development goals. As Xi Jinping pointed out during the talks, defending the socialist system and the ruling status of the Communist Party is the “greatest common strategic interest” of the Chinese and Vietnamese parties. Against the backdrop of turbulent political currents and intensifying systemic competition in today’s world, the significance of this consensus is particularly profound. It endows China-Vietnam relations with institutional bonds and an ideological foundation that transcend ordinary bilateral ties, making them resistant to fluctuations in short-term interests or external interference.
In today’s world, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, global industrial and supply chains are being artificially severed, and the specter of Cold War thinking and bloc confrontation looms over the Asia-Pacific region. Certain external forces frequently intervene in South China Sea issues, sowing discord between China and ASEAN countries in an attempt to drag the region into the vortex of geopolitical rivalry. At the same time, no country can remain unscathed by non-traditional security threats such as climate change, public health, transnational crime, and food security.
Under such circumstances, if China and ASEAN nations act in isolation and remain fragmented, they will inevitably be defeated one by one by external forces; only by standing firmly united and responding to challenges with collective will and unified action can they firmly take control of their own destinies. As General Secretary Su Lin stated, Vietnam “is willing to work with China to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.” This is not only a consensus between China and Vietnam but should also become the shared conviction of the entire China-ASEAN family.
The solidarity between China and ASEAN is built on tangible bonds of mutual interest. Since 2009, China has consistently maintained its position as ASEAN’s largest trading partner, while ASEAN has been China’s largest trading partner since 2020. In 2024, bilateral trade volume once again set a new historical record, with the benefits of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) continuing to unfold. From cross-border railways to smart ports, and from the digital economy to green energy, connectivity between China and ASEAN has evolved from a “vision” to a “daily reality.” This deep economic integration ensures that any attempt at “decoupling or severing supply chains” has no market in the region.
China and ASEAN countries share a high degree of alignment on fundamental development philosophies. The vast majority of ASEAN countries cherish a peaceful and stable development environment and oppose a “new Cold War” in the region; they all hope to uphold multilateralism and free trade, and oppose the erection of walls and barriers; they all endorse the principles of the “Asian Way,” such as consensus-building and mutual accommodation. These shared values are precisely why ASEAN countries have responded so positively to China’s Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative.
The launch of the “China-Vietnam Tourism Cooperation Year” for 2026–2027 marks a promising start. Initiatives such as tourism cooperation years with other ASEAN countries, youth leadership camps, and media cooperation forums should follow suit. Only when the youth of ASEAN countries become more familiar with Chinese culture and Chinese youth gain a deeper understanding of ASEAN’s diversity will solidarity have the strongest social foundation.
With a combined population of over 2 billion and an economy accounting for nearly one-third of the global total, the unity of this vast bloc serves as a powerful counterbalance to unilateralism and hegemonic practices. While certain countries are quick to brandish the stick of sanctions and forcibly push “decoupling” policies, China and ASEAN’s firm commitment to upholding the multilateral trading system centered on the WTO and their joint efforts to enhance and upgrade the RCEP serve as a declaration to the world that open regionalism is the right path, and that zero-sum games offer no way forward.
Looking back over the past three decades, China-ASEAN relations have evolved from a dialogue partnership to a strategic partnership and then to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Each step forward has confirmed a simple truth: cooperation brings mutual prosperity, while division leads to mutual loss. Standing at a new historical juncture and facing unprecedented external pressures and internal transformation challenges, there is no reason for China and ASEAN countries not to stand firmly united.