China-Asean meet aims at closer ties
A special "10-plus-one"summit meeting will be held in Nanning, China on October 30 to assess and extend cooperation between Asean and China.
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and heads of government from Southeast Asian countries will attend. The meeting aims to evaluate the current Asean-China relationship and improve ties in particular sectors. Preecha Laohapongchana, Thai caretaker Deputy Commerce Minister, said the meeting would also lead to an increase in practical cooperation amongst Asean members. "We shall see an increase in exports and investment once the leaders agree to increased cooperation," he said. Meanwhile, China has urged Thai enterprises to participate in the third Asean-China Expo, a bumper edition in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the fair, also in Nanning at the end of October. Yuan Fenglan, vice chairman of the Standing Committee for Guangxi province, told Preecha on Wednesday he was convinced that the event would be one of the biggest fairs in China and would generate more than US$20 billion (Bt763 billion) in trade. The fair generated $21.8 billion last year, when more than 1,000 exhibitors from China and Southeast Asia participated. The coming fair will be organised by the commerce ministries of China and 10 other nations, private enterprises and the expo secretariat. The Chinese government has earmarked $5 billion for it.
Petchanet Pratruangkrai The Nation
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