The China-ASEAN Association has been founded in Beijing, marking new stage of cooperation between the two.

Addressing the reception to mark the occasion, Gu Xiulian, vice-chairwoman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) and president of the China-ASEAN Association, said that as friendly neighbors, China and countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have conducted mutually-beneficial cooperation in all fields in recent years.

China and ASEAN have entered a new stage, in which they enjoy increasingly close political relations and comprehensive economic and trade development, she said.

The association aims to further facilitate China-ASEAN cooperation in various fields, and enhance the understanding and friendship between people of China and ASEAN countries through personnel exchanges, holding symposiums and other cultural activities, she said.

Chen Haosu, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), said the founding of the China-ASEAN Association will inject new vitality to the non-governmental friendly cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.

Malaysian ambassador to China Dato' Abdul Majid Bin Ahmad Khan addressed the reception on behalf of the ASEAN member states, saying the existing friendly organizations between China and ASEAN countries have played important role in enhancing mutual understanding and the China-ASEAN Association will further contribute to the existing mechanism.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

(Xinhua News Agency August 4, 2004)