Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Xinhua) — Amid the rise of protectionism and unilateralism, closer cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will boost global trade and investment, Bunn Nagara, director and senior fellow at the Belt and Road Initiative Conference for Asia-Pacific, an independent think tank based in the Malaysian capital, told Xinhua on Saturday.
“China, as well as ASEAN and GCC countries, share common development aspirations and face the same global challenges. So it makes sense for us to work more closely than before in many sectors,” the expert noted.
Energy, food security and supply chain resilience offer the greatest potential for trilateral cooperation, according to Nagara, who said the GCC is a leader in oil and gas, China in renewable energy and electric vehicles, and ASEAN is a key consumer market and manufacturing hub.
“Strengthening resilience can be achieved by starting to work together more closely and then addressing any challenges along the way,” the source said. “An open approach is important, receptive to new areas and ways of working together, while remaining sensitive to the needs of other partners,” the expert noted.
B. Nagara views the Belt and Road Initiative as a key mechanism for developing trilateral cooperation. “The Belt and Road is a large-scale project covering many related areas, including the digital economy and green transition,” he said.
The Belt and Road Initiative is closely linked to the three parties’ shared interests in sustainable growth, providing fertile ground for interaction among ASEAN, the GCC and China.
Against the backdrop of strong barriers to global trade from protectionism and unilateralism, ASEAN-GCC-China cooperation serves as a model for the Global South, says B. Nagara. “China and the ASEAN and GCC states are also countries of the Global South, not just Asia,” he noted. The interaction between them can stimulate similar initiatives among African and Latin American countries that share common aspirations, the expert is sure.
“What we do is to protect our legitimate development interests, not to threaten other countries or regions. We prefer non-confrontation because it is the best way to ensure mutual benefit,” the agency’s source said.
“Part of our interest is to protect global trade, on which our national development programs depend. This will also benefit other countries and regions around the world,” Nagara said. “We should now look forward to several more decades of development, underpinned by complementarity,” he concluded. –0–