Wen urges closer cooperation in East Asia

• Wen asked countries in the region to work for an early creation of East Asian community
• Wen urged the parties to work hard to boost regional integration.
• Leaders agreed that the global financial crisis has brought huge uncertainty and instability to the region.

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday urged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan and South Korea (10+3) to further promote cooperation in the region.

At a 10+3 summit, Wen asked countries in the region to focus on development problems and work for an early creation of East Asian community.

Wen arrived in Phnom Penh on Sunday afternoon to attend a series of meetings of East Asian leaders and pay an official visit to Cambodia.

The 13 nations have successfully handled the 1997 Asian financial crisis and properly dealt with the current international financial crisis, forged a rather complete cooperation platform, and made important achievements in maintaining financial and food security in the region, Wen said.

The Chinese premier called on the countries to strengthen capacity for crisis management, speed up the revision of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization, a regional currency swap arrangement, promote the 10+3 macroeconomic research office to a regional institution, and groom Asia's bond market.

Wen urged the parties to work hard to boost regional integration, saying China supports talks for comprehensive economic partnerships in the region, the expansion of mutual investment and industrial convergence.

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