South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit Sunday decided to accord observer status to China.

At the press conference in Dhaka after the closing ceremony of the 13th SAARC summit here Sunday, Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia announced that the summit has decided to accord observer status to China.

Modalities in this regard will be finalized by the SAARC Council of Ministers at its meeting to be held in July 2006, she said.

Japan was also accorded observer status while Afghanistan is admitted as a full member of SAARC, she added.

(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2005)