The 47th ASEAN Summit opened on October 26 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At the opening ceremony, East Timor became the 11th member state of ASEAN under the joint witness of ASEAN leaders. This summit and a three-day series of meetings will focus on issues such as building the ASEAN community and foreign relations, and discuss issues such as deepening regional integration, promoting economic growth and strengthening ASEAN connectivity.

The scale of this summit is the largest in ASEAN history, and the accession of East Timor is also the first expansion of ASEAN since 1999. How do you view this expansion of ASEAN?

Liu Lord, Deputy Dean of China Institute for International Affairs:One of the biggest highlights this time is East Timor's accession to ASEAN, which marks a new step in the expansion of ASEAN in the 21st century. The family portrait of ASEAN covers Southeast Asia geographically.

Liu Lord, Deputy Dean of China Institute for International Affairs:From an economic perspective, its market continues to expand and is now a large market for more than 600 million people, playing the role of a regional engine or engine in the process of regional economic integration.

Liu Lord, Deputy Dean of China Institute for International Affairs:The participation of the G20 and BRICS countries in ASEAN-related meetings shows the great unity of the global South. This is the first level of significance. The second significance is that ASEAN itself has increased its appeal and cohesion among countries in the global South through expansion and deeper development. Its role is not limited to Southeast Asia, RCEP or the Asia-Pacific region, but radiates to the entire global southern countries and other continents. This year, the China-GCC Summit was also held, and ASEAN's influence also expanded to the Middle East. This also shows that ASEAN is playing an increasingly prominent role in a global perspective.