Secretary General of the Association of South East Aian Nations, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, met with Wang Quing, Ambassador of China to ASEAN, over a breakfast meeting on Monday, as they discussed the trajectory of ASEAN-China relations following recent regional diplomacy.
Both sides used the meeting to exchange views on ASEAN-China relations, following up on the outcomes of 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, the Philippines.
They also discussed priorities and initiatives for ASEAN-China cooperation during the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership this year, as well as broader regional and international developments.
The meeting comes at symbolically significant moment. China and ASEAN elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in November 2021, marking the highest tier of the relationship, and 2026 marks five years since that upgrade.
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this morning met with H.E. Wang Qing, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN, over breakfast meeting. Both sides took the opportunity to exchange views on ASEAN–China relations, following up to the outcomes of the 59th… pic.twitter.com/oRMrXcLLaJ
— ASEAN (@ASEAN) August 10, 2026
This marks the fresh moment for both sides to review progress and set fresh priorities. It also comes shortly after China and ASEAN marked the 35th anniversary of dialogue relations in 2026, dating back to their first informal contact in 1991.
ASEAN-China relations have grown steadily since those early years. China became a full Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1996, and the relationship deepened significantly in 2003, when China became the first major power to accede to ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, a move that boosted ASEAN’s international standing.
That same year, the two sides established a Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity. Economic ties have expanded just as fast. The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, launched in 2010, was one of the world’s largest free trade zones at the time, and bilateral trade has grown many years times over since.
Read More: ASEAN Manufacturing Activity Hits Five-Month High in July
This year, the two sides formally signed the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, with bilateral trade between them topping $1 trillion in 2025, understanding how central the relationship has become to both economies.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn has previously said ASEAN looks forward to closer strategic alignment with China across trade, investment, and the digital economy, along with deeper people-to-people ties.
With the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership entering its fifth year, both ASEAN and China appear focused on translating the anniversary into renewed momentum, balancing growing economic interdependence with the more sensitive political and territorial issues that continue to shape the relationship.
