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China Supports ASEAN's Important Role in ASEAN+3 Cooperation
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan Tuesday renewed China's support for the vital role of ASEAN in ASEAN+3 cooperation, saying China is always ready to work with all parties concerned to push forward cooperation in East Asia.
Tang made the statement after attending a meeting between foreign ministers of the 10-member ASEAN and their counterparts of China, Japan and South Korea, which opened late Tuesday in Hanoi.
The Chinese foreign minister said remarkable progress has been achieved in the ASEAN+3 cooperation since the ASEAN foreign ministers held their first meeting with their counterparts of the three Northeast Asian countries.
Compared with other areas in the rest of the world, the East Asia cooperation is still at an initial stage and that much improvement should be made to establish a better mechanism for this endeavor, he said.
Tang said Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji had promised to add five more million U.S. dollars to the China-ASEAN Cooperation Fund to support its projects of human resource development.
Chinese information technology departments are also considering the implementation of the plans of ASEAN+3 information cooperation, Tang said, adding that all these efforts indicated China had attached great importance to the ASEAN+3 cooperation and coordination with ASEAN, Japan and South Korea.
The Chinese foreign minister said China is willing to provide all necessary assistance to support Brunei in its preparation for the ASEAN+3 summit scheduled for November 2001.
All the participants of the ASEAN+3 meeting agreed that the ASEAN+3 cooperation has already had a good beginning, which bears a vital significance to stability and development in this region.
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