The 13th China-ASEAN Expo as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting will soon kick off. Cooperation between ASEAN and Beijing will without doubt become the major issue of discussions at both gatherings. Yet the question confronting the organization is whether they can jointly put the illegal award of the South China Sea arbitration behind them. Abandoning the arbitration result is not only the basis of further collaboration with Beijing, but also the prerequisite to ensure that the bloc won't fall apart.

China is sincere in promoting common development with ASEAN. The Beijing-led One Belt and One Road initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund and the upgrading of the free trade area between the two sides since July 1 require joint efforts to be promoted. Cooperation in these fields will bring benefits to every ordinary person in the area. Yet certain forces are trying to make ASEAN focus on the South China Sea issue, which will disrupt the big picture of ASEAN's development and do damage to everyone's interests.

The two sides are now seeking to target $1 trillion in trade and $150 billion in two-way investment by 2020. But this will be missed without smooth bilateral interactions. Divergencies over the South China Sea disputes, escalated by outside powers, have critically affected ASEAN's cooperation with Beijing.

Recently, most countries in the bloc, including the Philippines, have voiced their hope of a restart to negotiations over the South China Sea dispute. And China has also been calling to implement the dual track approach - handling the disputes through direct talks between the parties involved and jointly maintaining peace and stability in waters with all ASEAN members. There is, however, one condition - such cooperation can never be carried out on the basis of South China Sea arbitration.

Beijing will never give up its sovereignty claim and legal rights in the South China Sea. The latest military drill in the waters is its restrained warning signal. Meanwhile, the US and Japan will suffer little from the worsening situation in the waters; all they will do is leave after stirring up troubles.

If ASEAN is ever split apart due to the divisions over the South China Sea issue, it is all the members within the bloc that will suffer the loss. Only by acting as one can they become stronger and maximize their progress. They need China for that, and they need to reach a consensus of abandoning the arbitration award.