Remarks By Ambassador Tan Hung Seng Singapore Permanent Presentative to ASEAN at the Seminar to Commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Monday, 9 April 2018

REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR TAN HUNG SENG SINGAPORE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO ASEAN AT THE SEMINAR TO COMMEMORATE THE
15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASEAN-CHINA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
MONDAY,  9 APRIL 2018

His Excellency Huang Xilian, Ambassador of China to ASEAN

His Excellency Jose Antonio Morato Tavares, Director-General for ASEAN Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia

Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. At the outset, I wish to thank my good friend, Ambassador Huang Xilian, for inviting me to speak at today’s event. I would also like to commend the PRC Mission to ASEAN, the University of Indonesia, and the China Foreign Affairs University for organising this meaningful event in commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.

2. Since August 2015, Singapore has been the country coordinator for ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations. It has been a privilege and pleasure to witness at first-hand how the relationship has grown and matured. Hence, I am pleased to have the opportunity, on this auspicious occasion, to share three key thoughts on the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership from a first-hand personal perspective.

3. First, I am pleased to note that ASEAN-China relations have continued to expand in both breadth and depth. In fact, it is among ASEAN’s most substantive dialogue partnerships. Economic ties have flourished over the years. When the Strategic Partnership was established in 2003, both sides

issued a Joint Statement announcing the goal of reaching US$100 billion in two-way annual trade by 2005. The US$100 billion target was achieved on time in 2005, and now, barely ten years later, both sides are aiming to hit the target of US$1 trillion by 2020. This is ten times higher than the 2005 target. China was ASEAN’s largest trading partner in 2016, while ASEAN was China’s third trading partner. There is also a healthy exchange of investments. In 2016, China was ASEAN’s fourth largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI), while Singapore was China’s top foreign investor.

4. Tourism is another bright spot in ASEAN-China relations. I recall that at the 18th ASEAN-China Summit in September 2016, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had suggested the target of 30 million two-way tourist arrivals by 2020. This target was easily achieved in less than a year, as the two-way tourist flows between ASEAN and China reached 30.1 million in 2016. This augurs well for ASEAN-China relations as such people-to-people exchanges can only enhance better mutual understanding. For this reason, we decided to designate 2017 as the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism.

5. Another significant area of cooperation is Connectivity. ASEAN and China have been working together to improve infrastructural and economic connectivity. Both sides are exploring greater synergies between the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. We are also working hard to achieve a modern, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) among ASEAN, China and the other five FTA partners. The RCEP will be a clear signal of the region’s commitment to trade liberalization and support for the multilateral trading system.

6. Second, ASEAN-China relations have matured and both sides go beyond projects and economic initiatives to advance the collective interests of the region. ASEAN and China have worked closely through various ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ASEAN Plus Three, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus; and the East Asia Summit. Through all these mechanisms, we aim to strengthen the regional security architecture and support ASEAN Centrality.

7. ASEAN-China defence cooperation has also been on a positive trajectory. The annual ASEAN-China Defence Ministers’ Informal Meetings have been convened since 2011 and it is an important platform to advance defence and counter-terrorism cooperation. Both sides are also planning to hold the inaugural ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise this year, which will further enhance mutual confidence and friendship among our navies.

8. Ladies and Gentlemen, as you may well know, ASEAN and China are conducting negotiations this year to work towards a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. This is a milestone which we hope will serve to reinforce the rules-based regional order.

9. Third, ASEAN-China relations are dynamic and has evolved in response to changing circumstances. Despite the progress that has been made, ASEAN and China have not rested on our laurels. For example, there were only five priority areas when the Strategic Partnership was established in 2003. Today, ASEAN-China cooperation spans 11 priority areas. At the same time, both sides continue to identify new ways to strengthen this important partnership. Last year alone, ASEAN and Chinese Leaders issued four Joint Statements declaring our intention to enhance cooperation in diverse areas such as anti-corruption, environmental protection, tourism cooperation, and infrastructure connectivity.

This year marks the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation, which dovetails with Singapore’s Chairmanship priorities, which focus on Resilience and Innovation. In commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership, both sides are preparing an ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030 Joint Statement which will chart the future of the strategic partnership.

10. In keeping with this spirit of continuous improvement, I would like to offer three ideas on how the Strategic Partnership can be further strengthened. First, as part of the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation, we look forward to China’s support for the ASEAN Smart Cities Network, which will be launched under Singapore’s Chairmanship this year. The ASEAN Smart Cities Network will serve as a collaborative platform between ASEAN cities and external partners, and there is much that we can learn from each other to harness technology to improve the way we live, work and play. Second, apart from technological and digital cooperation, both sides must work towards the realisation of the ASEAN-China Open Skies, which will play an important role in facilitating and enhancing regional connectivity. Third, ASEAN and China must strengthen efforts to find new ways to accelerate economic cooperation, following the successful upgrade of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) in 2015. As a next step, we should fully implement the Protocol to Upgrade the ACFTA; continue discussions on the Protocol’s Future Work Programme; while keeping an eye to deepening synergies in key areas such as e-commerce, competition, and intellectual property rights.

11. Let me end by reaffirming that ultimately, strong ASEAN-China relations serve the interests of both sides. It is a mutually beneficial relationship that we must continue to nurture. As Country Coordinator and ASEAN Chair, Singapore will continue to fully support efforts to foster closer cooperation between ASEAN and China. Thank you and I wish you a successful seminar.

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