China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their dialogue partnership. The relationship progressed from consultative dialogue partners in 1991 to full dialogue partners in 1996, then on to a strategic partner in 2003 and finally to an ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) last year.

ASEAN member states often view China both as a threat and source of hope. While the sense of hope comes from the size of the big market and China's ability to drive regional growth, the threat concept arises from China's skill to flood ASEAN as well as third country/region markets (the United States, the European Union and Japan) with low-priced products.

There are also concerns that China's growing competitiveness and the domestic market of more than 1.3 billion people will attract more overseas direct investment, leaving behind the ASEAN economies. But in the last 20 years, in many instances, China has assured that it needs ASEAN to grow and to become its partner in driving regional economic growth.