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hina'€™s relationship with Southeast Asia is long established and has stood the test of time as proven by the close trade links in ancient times that continue until today, a senior envoy has said.

China'€™s Ambassador to ASEAN Xu Bu said the current close relations between China and ASEAN had been developed long ago through commercial and people-to-people interaction.

'€œChina has been the largest trading partner with ASEAN countries for the last several years, and ASEAN has been the third-largest trading partner with China for the last four consecutive years,'€ Xu said during the opening of a painting exhibition on Monday.

The ASEAN Secretariat and the Mission of China to ASEAN co-hosted the oil painting exhibition at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. The exhibition has the theme '€œRe-tracing the Commercial Ties and People-to-People Connectivity of China-ASEAN Relations'€”Perspectives of a Painter'€, and will be on display until Nov. 19.

Xu pointed out how the paintings on display showed how China'€™s trade relationship with the ASEAN region had developed into strong ties.

'€œThese are not just numbers. They are the benchmarks showcasing the current status of China-ASEAN relations,'€ he said.

The paintings feature the work of the vice-president of the Guangdong Academy of Painting, Feng Shaoxie, which highlight the history of the spice trail. They feature important port destinations, the goods traded along the way and the difficulties of the journey.

ASEAN'€™s deputy secretary-general AKP Mochtan, noticed the details in what he considered his favorite painting.

'€œThis [particular painting] captures how the journey was not easy. There were challenges, there were actual difficulties. One had to face typhoons, and yet they made it,'€ Mochtan said, adding that the picture represented the spirit and determination to realize goals and dreams.

Artist Feng Shaoxie is a Chinese national level-1 artist, and member of the Chinese Artists Association. His works have been displayed at the Art Museum of the Royal Opera in London, China'€™s National Library, the Library of Congress in Washington DC, the National Gallery of Thailand and the Zheng He-Duoyunxuan Art Gallery in Malacca in Malaysia. He discussed how he felt Southeast Asia fit into his inspiration.

'€œThe relationship between Southeast Asia and China has been long standing since ancient times. Southeast Asia has always been an important pivot point and important hub of international trade and cultural exchange,'€ Feng said.

'€œFor hundreds of years they have possessed a deep friendship. It is this rich cultural history that supports my creative inspiration.'€