KUALA LUMPUR: Asean and China should push ahead to finalise the long-awaited Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea next year as it would mark a major step towards strengthening trust and cooperation, says Malaysia-China Friendship Association president Datuk Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan.
"Both sides have expressed optimism. Negotiations are ongoing, so this is something we should work towards together," he said.
Abdul Majid said the South China Sea issue remained the central stumbling block in Asean-China ties and continued to colour broader cooperation.
"It needs to be managed carefully. Otherwise, it becomes difficult, especially for Asean, to move forward with a shared mission," he said at the "Asean-China Dynamics in Building a Shared Future" conference yesterday where he delivered a keynote address on "Building a Community of Shared Future Between Asean and China".
Abdul Majid said future cooperation, particularly in the economic sphere, must be transparent and sustainable.
Citing the Pan-Asia Railway Initiative (PARI), he noted how a concept that once drew concern and misunderstanding gradually became acceptable after much discussion among policymakers and academics.
"When PARI was introduced 30 years ago, there were many concerns. But through sustained dialogue, including with universities in Hong Kong, the idea matured and became widely accepted," he said.
He added that China's shared vision proposal should undergo a similar process of deeper consultation to ensure Asean countries can adopt it at their own pace.
He said that stronger people-to-people ties and institutional partnerships were essential.
"In the past two years, we've seen a dramatic increase in linkages between Malaysian and Chinese universities. Five or six years ago it was very difficult to promote such collaboration, but now the interest is so strong that we can hardly cope with the demand," he said, adding that such exchanges help build long-term goodwill and cooperation.
Abdul Majid also said that Asean's diversity means progress will differ from one country to another.
During a question-and-answer session, a participant raised the point about cultural sensitivity and soft power, particularly intangible heritage, in enhancing Asean-China ties.
Abdul Majid said exchanges at political, institutional and cultural levels remained crucial.
"At the highest level, exchanges between leaders are important. When leaders meet more often, personal rapport increases and agreements can be reached more quickly," he said, noting recent visits by Chinese leaders to Malaysia.
He added that working-level exchanges were also active, with delegations from Asean countries regularly visiting Chinese universities, factories and institutions.
Visa-friendly arrangements and strong connectivity - including about 470 weekly flights between Malaysia and China - had further encouraged interaction.
Abdul Majid said Asean countries could learn from China's experience in transformation and modernisation, pointing to the steady flow of visitors to innovation centres such as Huawei and Alibaba.
He cautioned that the rivalry between the United States and China brought little benefit to Asean.
"The interpretation of Sino-US rivalry is not helpful. Many people in Asean, China and America want to see a reset in relations," he said, adding that he recently met groups from all three sides exploring ways to encourage greater sharing and cooperation.
Despite the geopolitical headwinds, he said the shared future vision remained relevant because it promotes harmony, cooperation and regional connectivity at a time when fragmentation is increasing.
"This vision can be a catalyst for better cooperation, even in a difficult environment," he said.
The conference was jointly organised by the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Institute of Social Studies (UTAR), Asean Research Centre for a Community with Shared Future (UTAR), the Institute of Community with Shared Future (Communication University of China), and the Institute of Social Economic Research (Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology).
There were about 100 participants, with 25 papers presented by academics from China, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Africa.