On the heels of President Xi Jinping's recent trips to Malaysia and Indonesia, Premier Li Keqiang is visiting Brunei, Thailand and Vietnam. The visits of the top two leaders to Southeast Asian countries in quick succession may mark the beginning of a new relationship between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations based on economic pragmatism.

For some time now, territorial disputes in the South China Sea between China and some ASEAN member states have grabbed the headlines in Beijing's ties with a region with which its economic links have expanded rapidly. With the trade volume between China and ASEAN member states crossing $400 billion, China has become ASEAN's largest trade partner, while ASEAN is China's third largest. Investments and movement of people have also increased substantially between China and ASEAN over the last decade.

The economic developments, however, have been somewhat overshadowed by tensions in the South China Sea. Analysts and experts have been highlighting the tensions between China and some ASEAN member states, and the division within ASEAN. Repeated attention has been drawn to the failure of ASEAN to agree on the language of a concluding Communiqu at the Foreign Ministers meeting in Cambodia in July 2012 over disagreements on addressing territorial claims in the South China Sea.