China's "new countryside" concept has the potential to inspire its neighbors, and the nation's success in the endeavour will be crucial in impacting surrounding countries with huge rural and agricultural populations.

The concept, which aims to achieve a more balanced and sustainable development between rural and urban imperatives and among regions within China, fits well with the country's "harmonious society" philosophy and may guarantee greater social stability.

As the main policy plank announced after the fifth plenary session of the Communist Party Central Committee last year, it has long been expected to have important domestic impact.

But the new countryside will surely also have some socio-economic implications for China's neighbors in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), especially when ASEAN-China trade, economic and political ties are warming up substantially.

China's Southeast Asian neighbors can certainly learn a few lessons this new Chinese policy and the socio-economic shift that is taking place in Chinese society.

ASEAN has been impressed with the pragmatism of recent Chinese leaders, especially in the post-Deng Xiaoping era, which has resulted in a fundamental shift in ASEAN leaders' thinking on China.

Indeed, ASEAN leaders have clearly stated that they could deal and do business with pragmatic Chinese leaders today, as the latter espouse a clear win-win approach to bilateral relations.

This new policy would again underscore the Chinese leaders' pragmatism in dealing squarely with growing socio-economic issues as China rises in peaceful development.

ASEAN leaders can now look up to this new Chinese experience and apply some of it to their own internal socio-economic policies.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2006)