ASEAN+3 FMs Meeting to Promote East Asia CooperationThe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers started a meeting, for the first time, with their counterparts from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Bangkok Wednesday.The meeting, which comes a day after the conclusion of the annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, will seek ways to intensify cooperation among the ASEAN+3 countries in various fields. At the meeting, the ministers will discuss economic, financial and technology issues and examine the modalities for implementation the decisions in the Joint Statement of East Asia Cooperation, which the ASEAN+3 leaders issued in Manila last November. The 13 ministers are also expected to endorse the Chiang Mai Initiative, launched last May by the ASEAN+3 finance ministers, which focuses on cooperation in the regional financing arrangements to supplement the existing ones. In face of a changing world, the ministers are also expected to exchange views about the future direction of the regional forum and about how to further enhance the confidence-building measures among the countries. The meeting will last till later this afternoon. |
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