With the
establishment of the tree trade zone, trade and investment
between the Chinese and ASEAN economies are expected to
increase significantly; but whilethe economic benefits are
inexorable, the extent of gains derived from closer integration
hinges on the Sino-ASEAN economic relationship, which is
both complementary and competitive in nature. At the present
stage of development, China and ASEAN are more competitive
than complementary, given thesimilarity in their trade and
industrial structures