Vientiane, Laos
CHINA managed to strengthen economic ties with the 10 Asean member states on Wednesday, while the United States - another major trading partner of the regional bloc - struggles to keep up with the pace.
Here on Wednesday, Asean states and China proclaimed to cooperate more on regional trade and investment, and to develop industrial capabilities.
Separately, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said to Asean leaders at a closed-door meeting that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a mega regional trade pact that includes China - but not the US - is a "new viable pathway" towards a free-trade agreement that covers Asia-Pacific.
Said Frederic Neumann, HSBC's...