On June 18-19, 2024, the ASEAN-China Future Relations Forum was successfully held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Under the theme of “Towards a More Substantive Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” the Forum was jointly hosted by the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to ASEAN. It was co-organized by the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) of Tsinghua University, the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, and the ASEAN Secretariat. The Forum invited nearly 200 participants, including permanent representatives from ASEAN member states, diplomatic envoys from dialogue partner countries to ASEAN, representatives of ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship recipients, and various representatives from all walks of life in China and ASEAN countries.

Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese Foreign Minister, sent a congratulatory letter to the Forum. In the letter, Wang Yi stated that in 2021, President Xi Jinping and leaders of ASEAN countries attended the Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations and announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership. The China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership has gained strong momentum, and the construction of a common home of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty, and friendship has borne fruit. The two sides have been each other’s largest trading partners for four consecutive years. High-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road landmark projects has come to fruition, and people-to-people exchanges have rapidly recovered. These achievements have brought tangible benefits to more than 2 billion people on both sides.

Wang Yi highlighted that China and ASEAN share similar development paths and modernization concepts. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which are highly compatible with the Ten Principles of the Bandung Conference and the spirit of the ASEAN Charter. China is working to build a great country in all respects through the Chinese path to modernization and achieve national rejuvenation, and the ASEAN community has entered a new phase of development. As a friendly and close neighbor and a reliable long-term comprehensive strategic partner, China is willing to align development strategies with ASEAN, firmly support ASEAN community building, uphold ASEAN’s centrality in the regional architecture, join hands to achieve common development, and promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity. We look forward to making good use of the “ASEAN-China Future Relations Forum” to offer advice and suggestions on the future development of China-ASEAN relations, promote the building of a closer China-ASEAN Community with a Shared Future, collaborate with all parties to actively implement Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and inject new impetus into the advancement of equal and orderly world multipolarity and inclusive economic globalization.

Xiao Qian and Chen Qi, Deputy Directors of CISS, and Dong Ting and Sun Chenghao, Fellows of CISS, participated in the Forum-related activities.

On the afternoon of June 18, the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN held a youth dialogue and exchange activity. As the representative of the co-organizer, Xiao Qian, Deputy Director of CISS, delivered a speech to the youth dialogue. She detailed the rich achievements of Tsinghua University and ASEAN countries in the field of people-to-people exchanges and expected the young people to take this activity as an opportunity to sincerely exchange their perceptions and understanding with each other. At the same time, she hoped that they could work together to promote the China-ASEAN partnership toward a better future.

Sun Chenghao, Fellow of CISS, moderated the “Science and Technology for Good” session of the youth dialogue. Dong Ting, as a panelist, responded to the question of how to strengthen bilateral science and technology regulation and the sustainable development of the innovation ecosystem. She articulated her perspective on the concept of “goodness” in this context and concluded that the goal of science and technology for good should be to serve the common interests of the peoples of ASEAN countries and China. She stressed the importance of prioritizing people’s well-being in regulatory frameworks to better foster common ground while respecting differences. In addition, in response to the current realities of bilateral artificial intelligence (AI) technology development and industry concerns, Dong Ting proposed exploring initiatives such as establishing cash pools to invest in AI innovations that serve the common interests of both populations and meet international expectations, including applications in the green economy and public health sectors.

On the morning of June 19, Chen Qi, Deputy Director of CISS, spoke and participated in the discussion on the “Technology and Artificial Intelligence” session of the main forum. He believed that China and ASEAN are crucial dialogue partners who should continuously strengthen communication and exchange in the field of science and technology innovation. He advocated for an active promotion of development and governance cooperation in emerging fields such as AI. He also addressed the significant potential for cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in the field of science and technology innovation amid US-China technological competition and urged seizing opportunities in scientific and technology development to jointly promote regional development and sustainable prosperity.

On the afternoon of June 19, Sun Chenghao and Dong Ting, Fellows of CISS, participated in the ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn’s meeting with youth representatives. The meeting was moderated by H.E. Hou Yanqi, Ambassador of the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN. Sun Chenghao, one of the participating youth representatives, shared his feelings about participating in the Forum, emphasizing its role as an important platform for young people of all parties to strengthen exchanges, understanding, and mutual learning. He also introduced a series of Track II diplomacy activities of CISS in AI.