The Commemorative Summit marking the 15th anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations will be convened on Oct. 30 in China's southern city of Nanning.

Following are basic facts about the 10-member regional organization.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

The ASEAN was established on Aug. 8, 1967 in Bangkok by five countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Brunei joined the group in January 1984, followed by Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Myanmar in 1997, and Cambodia in 1999.

The ASEAN region has a combined population of about 537 million, an area of 4.5 million square km, a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of 737 billion US dollars and a total trade volume of 758.7 billion dollars.

The main objectives of ASEAN are to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development through cooperative programs within the region, to safeguard regional political and economic stability and to serve as a forum for settling intra-regional disputes.

ASEAN's highest decision-making organ is the ASEAN summit.

The secretary-general of ASEAN is appointed on merit and accorded ministerial status. The secretary-general, who has a five-year term, is mandated to initiate, advise, coordinate and implement ASEAN activities.

ASEAN's economic cooperation covers following areas: trade, investment, industry, services, finance, agriculture, forestry, energy, transportation and communications, intellectual property, small and medium-sized enterprises, and tourism.

Source: Xinhua