China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will jointly promote legal development to better serve the operation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone, according to the organizing committee of the second China-ASEAN forum on legal affairs on Monday.

About 200 legal, economic and trade professionals from China and ASEAN countries will participate in the second Forum on Legal Affairs of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone on October 10 in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Participants in the forum will discuss the institution of a legal mechanism for settling trade disputes between China and ASEAN member nations, and setting up an economic and investment guarantee mechanism which is recognized by all the members of the Free Trade Zone.

They will also confer on enhancing legal cooperation between China and ASEAN member nations and the gradual improvement of economic and trade laws and regulations of every country in the free trade zone.

The second China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone forum on legal affairs is being sponsored jointly by the Secretariat of the China-ASEAN Expo, to be held in Nanning from October 19 to 22, and the All-China Lawyers Association.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2005)