ASEAN countries should stick together and avoid involving any external parties in their dialogue with China, because the future of the region belongs to ASEAN and China, not some other Western country, Humprey Russel, head of the ASEAN-China Research Center at the University of Indonesia, told China Daily when he recently participated in an academic forum in Beijing.

"All ASEAN member states, and also people in other region know that China will not seek for hegemony, but will work together with other countries to pursue common prosperity and to ensure that peace and stability will exist in the world," Russel said.

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