SINGAPORE, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The ASEAN regional bloc plans to attract investors for a railway link from Singapore to Kunming in southern China, ASEAN economic ministers said here Friday.

    Economic ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China announced they will convene a conference and exhibition on the project to "publicize, promote and attract investments for the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link in early 2009," according to a joint statement released here Friday.

    A special working group on the railway project will also meet in November in Malaysia, it said.

    To complete the link, 550 km of "missing links" still need to be built at an estimated cost of 2 billion U.S. dollars, at year 2006 prices, said the statement.

    The proposed railway line of 5,000 km will link major cities in eight countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and China.

    Economic ministers from ASEAN and its six dialogue partners like China, Japan and Australia concluded their five-day meetings in Singapore on Friday.