China and the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the sideline of the ASEAN+3 cultural ministerial meeting to consolidate cultural cooperation.

The MoU, the first China has signed with a regional bloc, stipulates that the parties concerned must actively promote great awareness, understanding and appreciation of each others' arts and culture through artistic collaboration and exchange, joint research and study, exchange of information and people-to-people exchange and interaction.

The engaged sides are obliged to encourage and support the conversation, protection and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage through programs in cultural heritage management, protection of intellectual property rights and networking and exchange among cultural heritage agencies and organizations.

Human resource development in the field of cultural and arts and cooperation in the areas of cultural enterprise and creative industries should also be promoted through various channels, according to the MoU.

The MoU, signed against the backdrop of the expanding China-ASEAN cooperation within the ASEAN+3 framework, is expected to enrich the content of the comprehensive cooperation between the two sides and signifies a new period of development in cultural exchange and cooperation between China and ASEAN member countries, said a press release at the meeting.

When opening the two-day cultural meeting Wednesday morning, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam called for the comprehensive implementation and monitoring as well as continued follow-up of the agreement reached during the last cultural meeting to realize the desired benefits for all countries.

The 1st Meeting of ASEAN+3 Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts was held in Kuala Lumpur in 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency August 4, 2005)