Against the background of the accelerating process of trade globalization, ASEAN has become China's largest trading partner. July 29, 2022 According to a new report, China has deepened its ties with ASEAN economies at a speed that the United States cannot match, according to a new report.

The report, released by the Asia Society Policy Institute, said China has increased its influence and strengthened ties with countries in the region through pledges of vaccine and epidemic prevention assistance and high-level dialogue among leaders.

China-ASEAN trade volume hits record high

The think tank's recent report said that given China's many natural advantages, its presence and influence in Southeast Asia will increase over the next few years compared with other major powers.

The report, "China's Southeast Asian Diplomacy During a Pandemic," states: "This period of the pandemic offers broad lessons for the future. If the next crisis hits the region, the United States cannot afford to be indifferent. consequences."

During the pandemic, ASEAN's trade volume with China has grown significantly, and the region has become China's largest trading partner, the report noted. In 2020, ASEAN replaced the EU as China's largest trading partner, and the same will be true in 2021.

The report also draws some conclusions based on qualitative and quantitative assessments: In terms of vaccine donations, China has been in the lead since the end of 2020, but will be overtaken by the United States around the end of 2021; in terms of foreign direct investment in Southeast Asia, China has generally been in the lead. It lags behind the U.S. and Japan, but is ramping up investment in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand; despite travel restrictions due to the pandemic, China has continued its high-level diplomacy through official visits and phone conversations.

Elites in the region reportedly applaud China more than the U.S. for aid in the pandemic.

The report emphasizes that the response strategy in Southeast Asia has been to remain neutral in response to the growing influence of China and the intensification of competition between the United States and China, but "China is strong and geographically close, and this strategy is far from sustainable. Sure".

The report by the Asia Society Policy Institute matches the findings of a poll released earlier in 2022 by the Yusof Isa Institute for Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. According to the poll, nearly 77% of the respondents believe that China is the most influential economic power in the region, and 54% of the respondents believe that China is the most influential political and strategic power in the region. Editor / Xu Shengpeng