Chinese premier proposes to upgrade China-ASEAN cooperation

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Sunday that China and ASEAN countries should strengthen and enrich their strategic partnership and upgrade cooperation, proposing to set up by China a number of economic and trade zones in ASEAN countries.

Addressing the leaders of 10 ASEAN countries at the 10th ASEAN- China Summit held in the central Philippine resort city, Wen said China and ASEAN should strengthen political mutual trust, bring China-ASEAN economic relations and trade to a new level and carry out cooperation in non-traditional security fields.

Wen said China supports ASEAN community building and integration and is willing to expand social, cultural and people- to-people exchanges with ASEAN countries. He said China welcomes more ASEAN businesses to China and encourages established Chinese companies to invest in ASEAN countries.

He said that on the basis of mutual benefit, China will favorably consider setting up in ASEAN countries a number of economic and trade zones which have sound infrastructure and complete industrial chains.

"I hope this will bring the China-ASEAN win-win cooperation and common development to a higher level," he said.

Wen said China will also enhance cooperation with ASEAN in combating transnational crimes, maritime security, disaster reduction and relief, prevention and control of communicable diseases and environmental protection.

He said China proposes environmental cooperation be incorporated into the overall China-ASEAN cooperation framework and establish a bilateral regular information sharing system on communicable diseases and public health emergencies.

Wen also invited ASEAN countries to take part in training courses on reconstruction and management of disaster-hit areas to be held in May this year, saying China will host this year a China- ASEAN symposium on prevention and control of human infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza, and will help train 20 professionals in this field for ASEAN countries.

Wen said China has also delivered 1 million U.S. dollars it pledged to the ASEAN Development Fund, will train 8,000 professionals in various fields for ASEAN in five years, and will run a number of agro-technology training programs and workshops for ASEAN countries this year.

In order to enhance exchanges and cooperation among young people of China and ASEAN countries, China will invite 300 youth from ASEAN countries to visit the country and set up a China-ASEAN Youth Campus in southern Chinese province of Guangxi. To promote China-ASEAN media exchanges, China will host the third China-ASEAN High-Level Seminar on Media Cooperation this year, he said.