ASEAN treaty to include China
( 2003-10-06 09:26) (China Daily)
China is to be formally included in the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Co-operation, Chinese Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi said on Saturday.
Wang was attending a meeting of senior officials from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to prepare documents for this week's ASEAN-China summit.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will be attending the summit for the first time.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
Wang said the summit will build on past experience and open a new chapter in relations between China and ASEAN.
He said Wen's participation will indicate that these relations are entering a new stage of development.
Wang said the Chinese premier will put forward a series of proposals on expanding co-operation between China and the association in the areas of trade, public health, education, culture, youth and political security.
China supports the proposed Bali Concord II, which is due to be signed by the ASEAN member countries at the ninth ASEAN Summit to take place tomorrow and on Wednesday, said Wang. This declaration will determine in which direction the organization develops, he said.
China will also support the economic development of the ASEAN countries and will continue to invest in the development of the Mekong River basin, he said.
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