Trade between China, ASEAN Dips During January-May

Bilateral trade between China and ASEAN has boomed during the past 25 years, but declines were reported this year because of the febrile global economy, a senior official said Tuesday. 
Bilateral trade between China and ASEAN rose to 472.16 billion US dollars in 2015 from 7.96 billion US dollars in 1991, with an annual growth rate of 18.5%, Vice Commerce Minister Gao Yan said at a news conference. 
During the Jan.-May period, bilateral trade fell 7.1% year on year to 173.57 billion US dollars. 
The two sides are trying their best to "get bilateral-trade growth back on track as soon as possible", Gao said. 
China currently is ASEAN's biggest trading partner, while ASEAN is China's third biggest, according to China's (Xinhua) News Agency. 
By the end of May, two-way investment had exceeded 160 billion US dollars, with ASEAN remaining a major destination for Chinese companies.