FTA pushes ASEAN ties

Washington's intention to sow discord between China and Southeast Asian countries will be in vain

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are beginning to harvest tangible economic benefits two decades after a dialogue mechanism between the two was initiated.

A much-anticipated free trade area (FTA) between China and the regional bloc was formally launched in early 2010, which, with a $4.5 trillion trade volume, ranks as the world's third largest trade zone. The bilateral trade value in the first half of this year reached $136.5 billion, an increase of 55 percent year on year, and the figure for the full year is expected to total $250 billion.