China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday issued a joint statement, vowing to strengthen cooperation in food safety, promote food trade and protect consumers' rights and benefits.

 

The Nanning Joint Statement was issued at the end of the two-day China-ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Quality Supervision, nspection and Quarantine in the southern China city of Nanning, where the Fourth China-ASEAN Expo and Fourth China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit are going on.

 

According to the joint statement, ministers and representatives from China and ASEAN countries as well as the ASEAN Secretariat have had extensive exchanges on food safety laws and regulations, and administrative systems of China and ASEAN members, before mutual understanding was enhanced.

 

Based the discussions, they reached eight points of common understanding on strengthening China-ASEAN food safety, promoting food trade and protecting consumers' rights.

 

Recognizing that food safety is of great importance to consumers' health, trade development and social stability, and food safety issue is the responsibility of all parties, the ministers and representatives agreed to support and strengthen cooperation and exchanges in the field.

 

They also pledged to encourage active exchanges of information about food safety laws, regulations, standards and information in line with the principle of transparency, in order to enhance mutual understanding and trust.

 

The China-ASEAN Expo and summit, which run parallel in four days from Sunday to Wednesday, serve as an annual gathering of political and business leaders in China and the ten ASEAN member countries. The ministerial conference is one of a series of nine forums and meetings scheduled under different themes for further cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries.

 

Besides, China and the ASEAN issued another joint statement on port development and cooperation aiming at shore up the role of shipping and ports in China-ASEAN trade.

 

During the two-day meeting of transport and communication ministers, China and ASEAN had reached consensus on the final Draft of the ASEAN-China Maritime Transport Agreement, and agreed to submit this document for signing at the 6th ASEAN-China Transport Ministers' Meeting to be held in Singapore on November 2, 2007.

 

The two sides also showed satisfaction on the Draft of the Strategic Plan for ASEAN-China Transport Cooperation, and have agreed to adopt the Strategic Plan as soon as possible so as to develop the port cooperation plan and identify the top priority cooperation projects, the statement said.

 

China and ASEAN recognized the need to establish the ASEAN-China port coordination mechanism, aiming at an effective implementation of relevant cooperation activities.

 

The two sides said they will encourage and support the port cooperation in the sub-regional groupings. The detailed cooperation will be discussed under the future Strategic Plan for ASEAN-China Transport Cooperation.

 

China and ASEAN also vowed to improve investment environment and develop the related facilitative policies, support enterprises to participate in the port infrastructure development, and expand financing channels.

 

They will continue to support the utilization of ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund to promote the human resources development, personnel training and technical and information exchanges in port construction and management, said the statement.

 

Themed "Enhancing Regional Cooperation, Promoting Common Development", the ASEAN-China Port Development and Cooperation Forum was held during the 4th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in the southern Chinese city of Nanning on October 28 to 29.

 

The 10-member ASEAN comprise Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2007)