¡¡¡¡BALI, Oct. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- China formally joins the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) on Wednesday after foreign ministers of China and 10 ASEAN members signed a document on China's accession to the treaty.

¡¡¡¡Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and ASEAN leaders witnessed the signing by Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and ASEAN foreign ministers on the document.

¡¡¡¡ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has expressed its hope that China joins the treaty as a non-Southeast Asian country in recent years, according to a press release from the Chinese delegation, which is attending a series of ASEAN-related meetings.

¡¡¡¡In June 2003, the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) approved the country's accession to he treaty.

¡¡¡¡Principles and purpose of the TAC conform to the five principles of peaceful co-existence upheld by China, the press release said.

¡¡¡¡China's accession to the TAC is conducive to the long-term stability and development of relations between China and ASEAN as well as the maintaining of the region's peace and stability, it added. Enditem

ASEAN, China agree to establish strategic partnership

¡¡¡¡BALI, Oct. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China announced that they will establish "a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity."

¡¡¡¡The announcement came in a declaration signed by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and leaders of the ten-member ASEAN after theirmeeting.

¡¡¡¡"In today's world that is under going complex and profound changes, the enhanced cooperation between ASEAN and China, as two important partners in the Asia-Pacific region, will serve the immediate and long term interests of both sides and is conducive to peace and prosperity in the region," the declaration said.

¡¡¡¡"To this end, we agree that ASEAN and China establish 'a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity.'"

¡¡¡¡The purpose of the establishment of a strategic partnership forpeace and prosperity is "to foster friendly relations, mutually beneficial cooperation and good neighborliness" between ASEAN and China by deepening and expanding ASEAN-China cooperative relationsin a comprehensive manner in the 21st century, the leaders declared.

¡¡¡¡"This strategic partnership is non-aligned, non-military, and non-exclusive, and does not prevent the participants from developing their all-directional ties of friendship and cooperation with others," the leaders affirmed. Enditem