01. China， ASEAN set to boost RCEP trade as new chapter begins

Dec. 2， 2021 （China Daily） — The HF Spirit， a freighter sailing from Jakarta， capital of Indonesia， arrived at the Qinzhou Port in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on November 20， bringing five reefer containers filled with fresh fruit. “Indonesia’s bananas， mangosteens， Thailand’s coconuts， longan， durians and Vietnam’s pitaya are the ‘frequenters’ on our ship，” said Lu Xiaoshan， manager of the shipping department of the New Sitc International Shipping Agency （Shanghai） Co Ltd’s branch in Qinzhou.

02. China， ASEAN cooperation aids growth

Dec. 8， 2021 （China Daily） — China’s efforts to build closer cooperation with ASEAN will benefit all countries in the region， contribute to greater integration in East Asia and bolster development needed for post-pandemic economic recovery， experts said. “The cooperation between China and ASEAN is a key factor in keeping alive the narrative of economic interdependence in this region， which is essential for all governments as they seek to recover from the current pandemic-related economic recession，” said Aleksius Jemadu， a professor of international politics at Universitas Pelita Harapan in Indonesia.

03. Freight train to Laos carries vegetables

Dec. 9， 2021 （China Daily） — A train loaded with vegetables arrived in Vientiane， Laos， on Sunday from Kunming， Yunnan province. It was the first cold-chain freight train to run on the newly opened China-Laos line. On the return trip， its cargo was tropical fruit from Thailand and Laos for delivery to various Chinese cities. In recent years， agricultural products from Southeast Asia have been welcomed in Chinese market. At the same time， demand is growing for Chinese vegetables， daily necessities， home appliances and industrial materials from Southeast Asia.

04. Forum promotes China-ASEAN partnerships

Dec. 13， 2021 （China Daily） — A high-level think tank forum unfolded in Beijing and Haikou， Hainan province on Saturday， with experts and scholars expressing optimistic views about the prospects of industrial cooperation between Hainan and ASEAN countries. Tian Xueyuan， professor and member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， said the industries of Hainan and ASEAN are highly complementary. Tropical agriculture， marine fisheries， tourism and other industries are important for both sides， but the development situations differ. Hainan and ASEAN countries can give full play to both sides' respective advantages to strengthen cooperation， Tian said.

05. Economic ties with ASEAN set to become even closer

Dec. 16， 2021 （China Daily） — At the China-ASEAN Special Summit on November 22， President Xi Jinping set out a road map for further strengthening China-ASEAN economic relations， under the framework of the new China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The enhanced relationship reflects the rapid growth of bilateral economic ties. China-ASEAN economic ties have grown at a very rapid rate over the past three decades. Trade in goods between the two sides has risen at a remarkable rate， increasing from just US$ 9 billion in 1991 to US$ 685 billion in 2020.

06. China-Laos Railway benefits Laos and Laotians

Dec. 17， 2021 （China Daily） — The Lao economy is projected to grow by 4.2% in 2022， driven by exports and opportunities and benefits arising from the China-Laos Railway， according to a latest report. The rail link， which became operational on December 3， will enable Lao products， notably agricultural goods， to have better access to the Chinese market， said the report from the Lao National Economic Research Institute. As of December 15， the total value of the imported and exported goods along the China-Laos Railway reached RMB 107 million yuan （US$ 16.8 million）， according to data from the Kunming Customs.

07. Forum discusses collaboration on animal husbandry between China， ASEAN

Dec. 18， 2020 （China Daily） — The first China-ASEAN forum of Veterinary Vaccine and Veterinary Drugs was held on December 18 in Beijing， launching collaboration of veterinary technologies and discussing the industry of animal diseases control with ASEAN counterparts. Speakers from ASEAN countries， as well as countries including Pakistan and Egypt， shared information about the industry of animal diseases control and the registration of veterinary products. More than 30 representatives from 20 Chinese companies participated in the offline meeting and 29 international companies were invited to the simultaneous online meeting.

08. Promoting China-ASEAN relations by deepening industrial cooperation

Dec. 28， 2021 （China Daily） — This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN dialogue relations. In the morning of November 22， 2021， the anniversary was commemorated via video and the dialogue officially announced the establishment of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Since 2020， ASEAN has remained China’s largest trading partner. From January to November of this year， the total value of China’s imports and exports of goods with ASEAN was RMB 5107.25 billion yuan （US$ 798 billion）， a year-on-year increase of 20.6%， accounting for approximately 14.4% of China’s total foreign trade.