A customer chooses durians at a supermarket in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, May 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhao Huan)

　　ASEAN looks forward to closer strategic alignment with China, deeper practical cooperation in trade, investment, digital economy and other sectors, more people-to-people exchanges, and steady progress in ASEAN-China relations, said ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.

　　by Xinhua writer Zhang Yisheng

　　JAKARTA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Long seen as a vibrant way station for merchants and traders, Southeast Asia has served as a crossroads where ideas, goods and civilizations converged across vast waterways and fertile lands.

　　From awe-inspiring ancient temples to centuries-old blue-and-white porcelain preserved in modern museums, countless relics and treasures across the region bear witness to the long-standing ties with its northern neighbor, China. Today, that tradition of good neighborliness and friendship continues to define cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

　　As ASEAN celebrates its 59th anniversary on Saturday, this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the 35th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations and the fifth anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership. Against the backdrop of rising global uncertainties, analysts said maintaining the momentum of positive cooperation between ASEAN and China is mutually beneficial.

　　INSEPARABLE NEIGHBORS