While the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has grown concerned about the impact on the region of trade tensions between the United States and China, the 10-member group has high hopes that Japan and China will step up cooperation in spurring the regional economy and development, according to a veteran Thai journalist.
Welcoming China's role as a major provider of economic aid and investment for ASEAN, Kavi Chongkittavorn, a columnist for The Bangkok Post and senior fellow at Chulalongkorn University, takes a cautious view of Beijing's security posture, especially with regard to its militarization and recent missile tests in the disputed South China Sea.
Now that Tokyo-Beijing ties have improved markedly — with China having warmed to Japan as the U.S.-China tariff war shows no signs of easing — Kavi pointed to the significance of a new Japan-China initiative for promoting joint economic cooperation projects in third countries.