BEIJING, April 7 -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will attend ASEAN related meeting in Pattaya of Thailand from April 10 to 12. (ASEAN is scheduled to convene the ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3 and the East Asia Summit in Thailand on April 10-12). On the eve of his trip, China's first ambassador to ASEAN, Xue Hanqin, had an interview with a People's Daily reporter on Monday, April 6, in which Xue answered some issues of global concern.

    Q: What do you think is the focal point of the imminent East Asia Leadership Meeting, and where does the vital significance of Premier's participation in the meeting rest with?

    A: As the global financial crisis is still spreading, the most pressing issue for nations of East Asia and Southeast Asia is to retain their economic growth and to safeguard their financial and economic security in response to the crisis. In the grave, stark financial situation, leaders of East Asia are expected to issue a series of statements, set forth numerous proposals and coordinate their moves from the macro-economic policies, concrete measures and shored up confidence of their countries.

    Premier Wen's participation in the incoming meeting represents China's another major diplomatic foray with neighboring countries and, at this grand gathering, he will confer with other East and Southeast Asian leaders on matters of vital importance for boosting common economic growth and make a host of proposals and measures to spur East Asian cooperation. So, people are convinced that this visit of Premier Wen's is definitely a trip of confidence, a trip of pragmatic cooperation and a trip for the promotion of development.

    Q: Since its launch of China-ASEAN dialogue process in 1991, China has had 18 years of cooperative ties with ASEAN. Then, in what aspects it has shown itself as a responsible nation and what new impetus will this meeting bring about?

    A: China and ASEAN have set up a network of bilateral dialogue mechanisms in 2003 for cooperation and identified new priority areas of cooperation. To date, they have set the direction of 11 different fields, including cooperation in agriculture and food security, information and communication technology, human resources development, mutual investment, the Mekong sub-region development and transportation, In fact, China and ASEAN conduct substantial cooperation in approximately 30 spheres.

    Sino-ASEAN relations have stood numerous tests. In the last dozen years or so, China and ASEAN have helped each other to jointly respond to the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, and the ensuing Indian Ocean tsunami, the Myanmar Cyclone Nargis and devastating Wenchuan earthquake in China's southwestern Sichuan province. All these endeavors have narrowed the psychological distance between China and ASEAN, increased their amity, and helped to advance bilateral ties. As a result, the coordination and collaboration between the two sides has turned even closer in international and regional affairs.

    As a mater of course, bilateral relations are still facing some opportunities for further advancement. At the incoming China-ASEAN leadership meeting, China and ASEAN will conclude an investment agreement and, according to the agreement, a Free Trade Area (FTA) will be established in 2010 as scheduled.

    Q: ASEAN plus China, Japan and South Korea, which later evolved into the well-known 10+3 forum, was set up during the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98. Then, what substantial cooperation 10+3 would go in for, what effects it would bring about, what special significances it would produce and what vital measures it will take after the Group of 20 London summit held on April 2-3?

    A: When the financial crisis is wreaking havocs worldwide at present, East and Southeast Asian countries should beef up cooperation to cope with it together. First, they should strengthen regional financial cooperation based on Chiang Mai initiative (CMI) and press ahead with the multilateral process and the construction of an inter-bank bond market in Asia.

    ASEAN Plus Three finance ministers meeting in Thailand on Feb. 22 this year proposed an action plan based on increasing trade and investment liberalization to restore economic and financial stability of the Asian region, and the parties concerned agreed to form a regional foreign reserves pool of 120 billion US dollars to address liquidity shortages.

    Second, East Asian countries will step up pragmatic cooperation in agriculture and food grain security, poverty reduction, energy, non-traditional security fields and human resources, and actively carry out 10+3 investment and trade facilitation cooperation, and spur the construction of the 10+3 free trade area so as to lay a solid foundation to deal with crisis situations and, thirdly, they agree to enhance coordination, spur the reform of the international financial system and increase the representation of developing countries in the global financial setup.

    Q: As China's first ambassador to ASEAN, do you have any special expectations for Premier Wen's imminent trip?

    A: I have personally witnessed the process of East Asia cooperation and integration during my recent tour of eight ASEAN nations. I have also felt or come to acknowledge the great importance the ASEAN nations have attached to the development of their ties with China and their aspiration for expansion of friendship and cooperation and the in-depth growth of strategic partnership with China so as to jointly deal with global financial crisis.

    China will, among other things, press ahead with the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI), promote the construction of an inter-bank bond market in Asia and carry out bilateral currency swaps, in order to provide fluidity support for those nations in need. Meanwhile, China will further boost worldwide cooperation to cope with financial crisis in a bid to spur the international financial order to develop in a fair, just, magnanimous and orderly direction; China will oppose trade and investment protectionism and go on supporting developing nations so that they will be able to extricate themselves from an impasse as quickly as possible.

    (Source: People's Daily Online)