Premier: China's Entry to WTO Bring Prospects to Southeast Asian Nations

Premier Zhu Meets Singapore Counterpart Goh Chok Tong

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China's entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO) will provide with more opportunities for the co-operation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Premier Zhu Rongji made the remarks Thursday, November 23, when meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, noting that China welcome the enterprises of Singapore and the ASEAN to seek co-operation.

Zhu arrived in Singapore Thursday to attend the informal summits of ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and Republic of Korea) and ASEAN+1 (China), which will be open Friday and Saturday.

Echoing Zhu's remarks, Goh said that he believed that China will develop faster after its entry to the WTO, which will also bring more prospects for the co-operation with the ASEAN.

Goh expressed ASEAN's wish to enhance the relations with China.

Highly appraised the positive role of the ASEAN in the region, Zhu said that China attaches great importance to developing co-operative partnership with the ASEAN.

He said that to deepen the development through co-operation is of the interests of all the countries in the region, adding that China support the suggestion of establishing e-ASEAN and the plan to develop the Mekong Basin.

China appreciate the advice to promote the exchange of hi-tech professionals in the region, Zhu was quoted as saying by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.

China is willing to enhance the co-operation with the ASEAN in the frame of East Asia.

Goh said that the ASEAN have shown signs of recovery after suffering the financial crisis in 1997, noting that it is necessary for the countries to further support by each other in the principle of voluntary participation.

Today, the leaders from the 13 East Asian countries will gather here for the fourth informal summit of ASEAN+3, focusing on the prospect of the development in the East Asian nations and how to strengthen co-operation in the region.

Several topics will be touched upon, such as the establishment of free trade zone, the arrangement of currency swap, development in Mekong Basin and the co-operations in other fields.

The agreement of the ASEAN free trade area was designed to take effect from 2003, but a new protocol has been introduced giving breathing space to sectors having difficulties in meeting tariff-cut deadlines.

The arrangement of currency swap allows countries to collectively use their foreign exchange reserves to fight speculative attacks and prevent a contagion similar to 1997.

Chinese analysis believed that it is encouraging for the region and beyond, that the half billion people of the ten ASEAN countries are now joining hands with China, Japan and ROK.

Zhang Yunling, director of the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Science said that it is necessary for the East Asian countries to enhance the co-operation in the process of economic globalization.

"In order to achieve long-term and substantial development, the East Asia has to deepen relations not only in the economic field, but also in the areas of science, education, culture, and even security where mistrust still prevails," Zhang said.



The article is contributed by chinadaily.com.cn