Sino-ASEAN ties set for 'sparkling' era

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are set for a "diamond decade" of cooperation, based on China's strategy of prioritizing ASEAN ties.

"China's strong desire to cooperate with ASEAN over the next 10 years has been very impressive, and new opportunities will arise in the expansion of the free trade area, infrastructure connections and bilateral investment," said Xu Ningning, deputy secretary-general of the China-ASEAN Business Council.

Last month, during the 10th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Expo, Premier Li Keqiang called for another 10 years of prosperity based on economic and trade coordination.