Interview: ＂Belt and Road＂ initiative, AIIB to complement ASEAN Community Vision 2025: Malaysian FM
The China-proposed "Belt and Road" initiative and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will complement the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, which will be adopted this weekend, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said here Friday.
The "Belt and Road" initiative and the AIIB are welcomed as they will help create greater connectivity in the region, while "assisting developing countries in much-needed infrastructure development," Anifah told Xinhua in an interview.
Calling the imminent establishment of the AIIB "a welcome and significant development," Anifah said its integration into the global financial system joins the ranks of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank as mechanisms to assist developing countries in their domestic growth and development.
The combined population of countries located along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is estimated to be 4.4 billion, with an enormous economic output, the foreign minister noted, lauding it as "a vast opportunity" for the region as a whole.
China has grown to become one of ASEAN's most active dialogue partners since the establishment of their relations in 1991, he said, stressing that China's commitment to ASEAN is well documented.
"We recognize that China has contributed significantly towards ASEAN community-building through its broad cooperation initiatives and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration," he said on the sidelines of the 27th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, which last from Nov. 18 to 22.
ASEAN's relationship with China is deep, multi-faceted and broad-ranging, Anifah said.
The ASEAN Community, which is comprised of three pillars, namely, the ASEAN Political-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, is to be established by the end of this year.
The establishment of the ASEAN Community will help further promote ASEAN as an outward-looking region within the global community of nations, while maintaining centrality in the evolving regional architecture, Anifah said.
It is envisaged, he added, that ASEAN will continue to be an outward-looking community that deepens cooperation with its dialogue partners, strengthens engagement with other external parties as well as reaches out to new potential partners for mutually beneficial relations.
According to the foreign minister, Malaysia, as the rotating chair of ASEAN in 2015, has focused its efforts on ensuring the implementation of the remaining action lines as contained in the current three ASEAN Community Blueprints, as well as developing the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.
The 10-year vision, a forward-looking document, is designed to reflect the aspirations of the next generation of ASEAN peoples, with the aim to sustain the momentum of regional integration and further contribute to strengthening the ASEAN community-building efforts, Anifah said.
By Zhang Chunxiao, Zhao Bochao, Lin Hao
