Chinese Premier Calls for China-ASEAN Cooperation in Hi-TechChinese Premier Zhu Rongji Saturday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN) to cooperate with China in the development of high technology.Zhu made the call at a summit between China and the ten ASEAN countries -- Brunei, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore. "Today, scientific and technological revolution represented by information technology is developing rapidly," he said. Therefore, a pressing task for China and ASEAN is to develop hi-tech and narrow or eliminate the "digital divide" with developed countries, said the Chinese premier. He said China supports the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement and expresses its readiness to participate in the development of e-ASEAN in terms of human resources and hardware. "The Chinese side suggests that a China-ASEAN seminar on IT cooperation be held in China in 2001 to discuss ways to increase IT cooperation between the two sides," he said. ASEAN member countries signed on Friday the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement which proposes to step up infrastructure building for telecommunications and enhance cooperation in the development of human resources and hardware. Fourth ASEAN Informal Summit Winds upThe Fourth ASEAN Informal Summit closed November 25 after issuing a statement to express their resolves to enhance ASEAN integration and solidarity and put forth the endorsed programs aiming to prosper the ASEAN.The statement was released following the respective 10+1 meetings between ASEAN leaders and those of China, Japan and South Korea, where they deepened their discussions at the ASEAN plus Three (10+3) meeting Friday, November 24. China, ASEAN Strengthen Trade, Investment Links: Chinese PremierPremier Zhu Rongji November 25 urged stronger trade and investment links between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).Zhu said that the ever-closer economic cooperation and trade between China and ASEAN make it necessary for both sides to further facilitate unfettered exchange of goods, technologies, capital and information. |
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