Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended the 11th China-ASEAN summit (10+1) which opened in Singapore on Tuesday.

 

The "10+1" meeting is a mechanism designed to strengthen dialogue and communications, discuss cooperation, and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

 

China and ASEAN, friendly neighbors and partners, have been deepening their relations in recent years. The two sides are cooperating more closely in the political, economic, social and cultural areas, and consistently supporting each other in international affairs.

 

The ASEAN-China dialogue relations were launched in 1991. China became ASEAN's full dialogue partner in 1996. The two sides established the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in 2003. Recent years have witnessed the rapid and comprehensive growth in ASEAN-China relations, yielding fruitful results through extensive and in-depth exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in political, economic, trade, social, cultural and other fields.

 

China is the fourth biggest trade partner of ASEAN, while ASEAN the fifth of China.

 

The bilateral trade volume between China and ASEAN had amounted to 160.8 billion U.S. dollars by the year of 2006, with a year-on- year increase of 23.4 percent.

 

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei said the bilateral trade volume may top 190 billion U.S. dollars this year.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2007)