Two-way trade between China and ASEAN grew by 14.1 percent to a record USD587.87 billion in 2018, compared to 2017. China has been ASEAN’s top trading partner for 10 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China’s third largest trading partner, after the European Union and the United States, for eight years in a row. The gap between China-ASEAN trade volumes and China-US trade volumes narrowed significantly by about 33 percent from USD68.9 billion in 2017 to USD457 billion in 2018. This shows huge potential for the partnership to grow further especially in the midst of the protectionist mood in the West. What could be done to step-up trade between China and ASEAN? What are the institutions and policies to focus on? What are the promising business opportunities to look out for in the next decade?
