The initiative of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road expresses in the first place the ideas of peace and sharing - an aspiration of China eager to enhance maritime cooperation with its neighboring countries and blazes a new trail for maritime peaceful diplomacy and solutions of maritime disputes. ASEAN countries, including those of sovereignty disputes with China, are meant to be equal partners in the joint efforts of building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road - a massive, lasting project, which will bring long-term economic benefit to both China and involving countries.

"Community of Common Destiny"is a new concept proposed by the Chinese government over the last few years, calling for countries to give consideration to each other’s rational concern while pursuing their national interests and accelerate a common development while striving for their own progress. ASEAN member states are China’s important neighbors with intimate relationship - a fundamental condition for the construction of the China-ASEAN Community of Common Destiny, which aims at promoting good will, mutual trust, win-win cooperation, openness and inclusiveness.

It’s a long run for the construction of such a community, a course of seeking common ground while reserving differences.

The initiative of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road has offered a wonderful opportunity for the construction of the China-ASEAN Community of Common Destiny, with highlights of maritime interconnection and enhancement of maritime cooperation, accompanied by cooperation and interaction in the realms of politics, economy and trade, finance, security, and culture, so that all countries along the Road can get fully involved and share the achievements, thus laying a concrete foundation, materially and spiritually, for the construction of the China-ASEAN Community of Common Destiny.

Lu Jianren is Chief Research Fellow of the China-ASEAN Research Institute of Guangxi University, Fellow of the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). With a doctoral degree in economics, he serves as a PhD supervisor. He was a professor at the Graduate School of the CASS. He engages in the studies on the economy of Asia Pacific, East Asia and Southeast Asia. He published many books and articles, including The Asia-Pacific Economy in the 1990s, APEC and China, ASEAN’s Today and Tomorrow. He has been included by the Foreign Ministry in the Chinese Star Expert Team of the ASEAN Regional Forum, and has been assigned by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade as a council member of the East Asia Business Council.

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