Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Sunday that China and ASEAN
countries should strengthen and enrich their strategic partnership
and upgrade cooperation, proposing to set up by China a number of
economic and trade zones in ASEAN countries.
Addressing the leaders of 10 ASEAN countries at the 10th
ASEAN-China Summit held in the central Philippine resort city Cebu,
Wen said China and ASEAN should strengthen political mutual trust,
bring China-ASEAN economic relations and trade to a new level and
carry out cooperation in nontraditional security fields.
Wen said China supports ASEAN community building and integration
and is willing to expand social, cultural and people-to-people
exchanges with ASEAN countries. He said China welcomes more ASEAN
businesses to China and encourages established Chinese companies to
invest in ASEAN countries.
He said that on the basis of mutual benefit, China will
favorably consider setting up in ASEAN countries a number of
economic and trade zones which have sound infrastructure and
complete industrial chains.
"I hope this will bring the China-ASEAN win-win cooperation and
common development to a higher level," he said.
Wen said China will also enhance cooperation with ASEAN in
combating transnational crimes, maritime security, disaster
reduction and relief, prevention and control of communicable
diseases and environmental protection.
He said China proposes environmental cooperation be incorporated
into the overall China-ASEAN cooperation framework and establish a
bilateral regular information sharing system on communicable
diseases and public health emergencies.
Wen also invited ASEAN countries to take part in training
courses on reconstruction and management of disaster-hit areas to
be held in May this year, saying China will host this year a
China-ASEAN symposium on prevention and control of human infection
with highly pathogenic avian influenza, and will help train 20
professionals in this field for ASEAN countries.
Wen said China has also delivered US$1 million it pledged to the
ASEAN Development Fund, will train 8,000 professionals in various
fields for ASEAN in five years, and will run a number of
agro-technology training programs and workshops for ASEAN countries
this year.
In order to enhance exchanges and cooperation among young people
of China and ASEAN countries, China will invite 300 youths from
ASEAN countries to visit the country and set up a China-ASEAN Youth
Campus in southern China's Guangxi. To promote China-ASEAN media
exchanges, China will host the third China-ASEAN High-Level Seminar
on Media Cooperation this year, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2007)