On 12 April 2009, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who accompanied Premier Wen Jiabao on his just-concluded foreign visit, had a group meeting with diplomats from the ten ASEAN countries in Beijing and briefed them on the proposals of the Chinese government for strengthening all-round cooperation with ASEAN.
Minister Yang said that China attached great importance to the East Asia leaders' meetings originally scheduled for 11-12 April in Pattaya, Thailand. Premier Wen had planned to have an in-depth exchange of views with ASEAN colleagues at the China-ASEAN Summit on deepening and expanding the all-round bilateral cooperation. Though the meetings did not materialize as scheduled, China still wanted to share with ASEAN countries its proposals for strengthening the 10+1 cooperation. Generally speaking, in the face of the ongoing serious international financial crisis, China and ASEAN countries should meet challenges head-on with a heightened spirit and turn unprecedented challenges into opportunities for deepening practical cooperation and promoting common development. To this end, we hope the two sides should focus their energy in the following specific areas:
First, sign the China-ASEAN Investment Agreement. This is of important practical and long-term significance as it will demonstrate the steadfast commitment and position of China and ASEAN countries to promote trade and investment liberalization, oppose protectionism and pursue mutual benefit and win-win progress.
Second, vigorously promote China-ASEAN infrastructure and inter-connectivity building. China has decided to set up a US$10 billion China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund to finance major 10+1 investment cooperation projects in infrastructure, energy and resources, information and communication technology and other fields.
Third, advance ASEAN integration and regional cooperation. In the next three to five years, China will provide ASEAN countries with US$15 billion credit, including US$1.7 billion in concessional loans. China is also considering providing a total of RMB270 million this year in special aid to the less developed ASEAN countries, including Cambodia, the Laos and Myanmar, to help them meet pressing needs and get through this difficult time. China has already contributed US$900,000 to the 10+3 Cooperation Fund and US$100,000 to the ASEAN Foundation, and will provide an additional US$5 million to the China-ASEAN Cooperation Fund.
Fourth, vigorously push forward sub-regional cooperation such as the Greater Mekong Sub-region development, East ASEAN Growth Area and Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle. Efforts should be made to expand exchanges and cooperation between China's coastal, border and central and western provinces and enterprises and ASEAN countries to nurture new areas of economic growth.
Fifth, strengthen financial cooperation among East Asian countries. It is important to speed up the multilateralization of the Chiang Mai Initiative, enlarge the Self-managed Reserve Pooling, increase the size and participating countries of bilateral currency swap arrangements, and move ahead with the building of the Asian Bond Market.
Sixth, boost regional cooperation in food security. China proposes to launch a China-ASEAN Action Plan on Comprehensive Food Productivity Enhancement, under which it will set up demonstration projects of high-yield fine crop varieties in ASEAN countries and offer training courses on practical agro-technologies to help ASEAN countries increase grain output and achieve food security in a fundamental way. In addition, China has decided to set aside 300,000 tons of rice as special reserves for the Project on East Asia Emergency Rice Reserve.
Seventh, intensify exchanges on capacity-building and in social and cultural sectors and promote sustainable development. China will host a series of training programs to strengthen information and experience sharing with ASEAN and jointly increase capacity in natural disaster management. In the next five years, China will provide another 2,000 government scholarships and 200 MPA scholarships to developing countries in East Asia. Youth and media exchange activities will be expanded to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the people of China and ASEAN.
Eighth, enhance cooperation in non-traditional security fields. Through training courses and other projects, the two sides should upgrade cooperation against transnational crimes and in law enforcement. Efforts should be made to enhance defense scholars' dialogue and personnel training.
Minister Yang added that China will give full play to the role of the Chinese ambassador to ASEAN and intensify communication and cooperation with ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretariat.
He reaffirmed China's long-standing and firm support to ASEAN integration, the building of the ASEAN Community and ASEAN's leading role in regional cooperation. Although the East Asia leaders' meetings have been postponed, the commitment of the Chinese government to the foregoing proposals will not change. We have every confidence in the prospects of ASEAN development and the future of China-ASEAN friendship and cooperation.
The Thai ambassador to China said that Thailand was sorry for the postponement of those meetings due to the situation in Thailand, deeply moved that Premier Wen nevertheless came to Pattaya for the meetings, and grateful for China's understanding of Thailand's postponing decision. Diplomats representing ASEAN countries said that China's proposals were comprehensive and important and believed that these measures would have positive and far-reaching impact on China-ASEAN cooperation and bolster the efforts of ASEAN countries to weather the international financial crisis. They expressed appreciation of and gratitude to China's support for ASEAN integration and ASEAN's leading role in regional cooperation, and stated the readiness of ASEAN countries to work with China to bring ASEAN-China relations forward.
