Insights | Philippine expert: ASEAN-China ties resilient beyond geopolitical tensions

China continued to maintain its position as ASEAN’s largest trading partner in 2025. In October of that year, China and ASEAN signed the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) 3.0 Upgrade Protocol in Malaysia. As China-ASEAN trade continues to deepen and solidify, what driving forces lie behind this?

Based on the observation, Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy, vice president of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, said that the long-standing positive partnership between the two sides essentially reflects a deep structural economic interdependence beyond geopolitical tensions. Meanwhile, the durability of bilateral cooperation requires both sides to align with each other.

Source: ECNS
https://www.ecns.cn/video/2026-01-19/detail-iheywhna5928307.shtml

Prof. Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy

Prof. Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development (ISSCAD), Peking University, Beijing, China. Currently, she is a Senior Researcher of the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) and a Senior Research Fellow of the Global Governance Institution (GGI). Prof. Anna Uy taught Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies, European Studies, Southeast Asia, and China Studies. She is a researcher-writer, academic, and consultant on a wide array of issues. She has worked as a consultant with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other local and international NGOs.