PINANG, Malaysia, April 21 (Xinhua) -- China and ASEAN ICT ministers issued a joint statement here on Friday, reiterating commitment to further strengthen their cooperation in the field of information and communication technology (ICT).

    "We reiterated our commitment to continuously enhancing the ASEAN-China strategic partnership in ICT to support regional growth and prosperity," according to the joint statement issued after the China-ASEAN ICT Ministerial Forum and the Second China-ASEAN ICT Week closed here.

    In 2006, China and ASEAN countries plans more than 10 activities and events, including study visits, training programs, and seminars, as concrete measures to further their ICT cooperation, the statement said.

    China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also agree to develop an ASEAN-China Coordination Framework for Network and Information Security Emergency Responses to crack network spams and negative contents, it said.

    China and ASEAN expressed satisfaction with the progress of their ICT cooperation since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration on China-ASEAN ICT Cooperative Partnership for Common Development at the First ASEAN-China ICT Week in May last year.

    The two sides also agreed to expedite the implementation of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Information Superhighway project and explore the possibility of expanding the project to cover all ASEAN countries to build an ASEAN-China Information Superhighway, the statement said.

    In addition, China and ASEAN agreed to put greater efforts into enhancing rural communication services and to consider the implementation of pilot projects involving actual application of suitable technology in selected rural areas in the region. Enditem