Sound Bites

Xi Jinping's speech was a brilliant mix of a long-term vision to deepen partnership with Indonesia and other ASEAN countries and a determination to cope with challenges. This was a refreshing and inspirational speech, in which Xi has well reassured China's neighbors that this country is determined to boost peaceful development. The quotes of China's ancient poems and sayings were engaging and the measures to develop partnership were practical.

Shada Islam, policy director of Friends of Europe, a think tank based in Brussels

The fortunes of China and the ASEAN are inextricably interlinked, and therefore it is imperative that every effort is made to foster good relations between them. Being neighbors with increasingly integrated economies, they have every reason to work jointly toward ensuring that mutually beneficial trade and investment is not slowed or halted by misunderstandings or unnecessary tension.