Three-day ASEAN related summits open in the resort city of Pattaya, Thailand on Friday, April 10. It is a conference of vital importance for regional cooperation in Asia after the 2nd financial summit of the Group of 20 held in London on April 2-3, and the Chinese government has been attaching great importance to the summits.
THAILAND READY TO DO WELL IN HOSTING ASEAN SUMMITS
From the Thai capital of Bangkok to Pattaya, a resort city 145 km to its southeast, the look is cheerful and convincing along the way with suspending national flags of participating nations, and more enchanting colorful bunting and streamers in the immediate vicinity of Pattaya in both English and Thai languages, slogans seen on billboards include "ASEAN and dialogue partners strive to build a splendid future" and "make joint efforts to cope with global crisis."
In view of pendent turmoil and grave security situation in Thailand, Thai people have paid attention to the security of the ASEAN leadership meeting. Nevertheless, an official from the Department of Asian Affairs of the Thai Foreign Ministry announced at a press conference Thursday that"the ASEAN Summit and Related summits would convene as scheduled, and a total of 26 documents will be discussed at the summit."
The Thai government attached great importance to the ASEAN related meeting, since this is the biggest conference it has ever hosted over recent years. Thai authorities have taken all security precautions and set the main venue at the safe tourist resort of Pattaya, where there are a galaxy of luxurious restaurants and hotels with a whole set of facilities.
Thailand hopes that China would have a constructive role to play at the summit. Both nations aspire that the summit will spur the establishment of a free trade area by 2010, prompt the Chiang Mai Initiative Multi-lateralization (CMIM) and step up financial cooperation in the region.
ASEAN EXPECTS CHINA TO PLAY BIGGER ROLE
On the eve of the summits, the secretary general of the ASEAN Secretariat in charge of economic integration issues, said in an interview with People's Daily reporters in Jakarta that he was quite optimistic for ASEAN and China to establish a free trade area by 2010, noting that China's speedy economic development will definitely contribute to ASEAN and the entire East Asia.
China and ASEAN signed a cargo trade agreement in 2004 and a services agreement in 2007 and, at the current summit, the two sides would ink an investment deal, which marks the conclusion of the negotiation for the free trade agreement (FTA), the deputy secretary general of the ASEAN Secretariat said. China's closer economic and trade cooperation with ASEAN is of vital strategic significance in advancing the ASEAN's integration process.
Cooperation forged under the framework of the "10+1", "10+3" and the East Asian Summit is mutual and quite fruitful; tariffs on most products traded between China and ASEAN have already lowered by a marked margin from January 1, 2009, and this represents a positive move taken to spur free trade and combat trade protectionism.
Moreover, the deputy secretary general acknowledged, China has resorted to correct monetary policies and come up timely with economic stimulus packages in an endeavor to boost its domestic demands and create more employment. He also expressed the hope that China would continue to play a vital, crucial role in the course of responding to global financial crisis.
ROK DEEMS ITS COOPERATION WITH CHINA, JAPAN AS VITAL
Republic of Korea (ROK) President Lee Myung-bak is aiming to expand the role of ROK on the global stage. He said on Wednesday that economy in the 10 member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations has been growing continuously and their international status risen accordingly, the Yonhap News Agency has reported. “It will be important for us to improve relations with neighboring Asian countries,” the president said.
Meanwhile, Kim Eun-hye, a Blue House staffer and the ROK president’s deputy spokeswoman, said in a press briefing on the same day that ROK would confer with China and Japan in their leader’s talks on how to cope with the current global financial crisis, to spur cooperation in East Asia and to stabilize the regional situation, as well as on other related issues.
JAPAN IN FIRM OPPOSITION TO TRADE PROTECTIONISM
Prime Minister Taro Aso said on Thursday that Japan will extend insurance to encourage Japanese companies to invest in infrastructure development in other Asian countries as part of its growth initiative to expand Asia’s economy. "Japan will not only make proposals but mobilize the ODA (official development assistance), other public funds and private funds to push forward such projects," Aso said in a speech in Tokyo. This poses a new move aiming at playing a vital, leading role in regional cooperation.
In the wake of the 2nd G20 financial summit held in London on April 2-3, Japan wants East Asia leaders to reaffirm their opposition to trade protectionism. Despite a negative impact inflicted upon them by global financial crisis, most newly-emerging economies and developing countries in East Asia have adopted responsive policies by increasing domestic demands, and there are still relatively great potentials for the further expansion of their domestic consumption and market demands. So, Japan rests its economic recovery largely on bolstering cooperation with other Asian nations and opening up regional markets.
By People's Daily Online and contributed by frontline reporters to cover ASEAN summits
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