Special Report: Premier Wen Attends 12th China-ASEAN
Meetings
NANNING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) is likely to replace Japan as China's third largest trade
partner in the future, said a Chinese trade official Thursday.
Vice Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng made the remarks at a preparatory
meeting of the 6th China-ASEAN Expo in Qinzhou city, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region.
Gao said, China-ASEAN relations have developed further, featured by
frequent high-level visits and closer economic and trade relations. "Considering
the current development momentum, ASEAN is likely to become China's third
largest trade partner in the future."
Greater efforts would be put into making the ASEAN-China free trade area
(ACFTA) a reality by 2010, Gao told the preparatory meeting.
China and ASEAN launched their cooperation dialogue in 1991 and signed the
China-ASEAN Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation in 2002,
proposing the ACFTA by 2010.
In November 2004, China and ASEAN signed an agreement on goods trade and a
similar agreement on services in 2007.
Under ACFTA, China's standard import tariff for ASEAN goods averaged 5.8
percent from 2007 and dropped to 2.4 percent this year. It will end tariffs on
93 percent of its imports from ASEAN in 2010 while ASEAN, whose standard import
tariff for China averaged 6.3 percent in 2007, would make similar arrangements,
said Gao.
Trade between ASEAN and China shot up from 105.9 billion U.S. dollars in
2004 to 202.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2007.
"ASEAN gets more attention among Chinese businesses as China considers the
association a key region to implement its goal of encouraging Chinese companies
to diversify into overseas markets," said Gao.
The encouragement had helped China cushion the negative impact of the
global financial crisis, he said.
Trade between ASEAN and China rose by 14 percent to 231.12 billion U.S.
dollars last year despite the global financial crisis, which made ASEAN China's
fourth largest trade partner after the European Union, the United States and
Japan.
By 2010, when the ACFTA is established, bilateral trade volume will amount
to 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars, transforming the area into the world's third
largest FTA by trade volume after those in North America and Europe.
The 6th China-ASEAN Expo will run from Oct. 20 to 24 in Nanning, capital of
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The first such event was held in 2004.
Formed in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
Chinese premier arrives in Thailand
for East Asia meetings
RAYONG, Thailand, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao arrived here Friday to attend the East Asia Summit and
related meetings in Thailand.
Wen's trip from April 10 to 12 will be highlighted by
a series of meetings in Pattaya of Thailand, including the 12th China-the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, the 12th summit between
the ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea, the 4th East Asia Summit, and
China-Japan-South Korea Breakfast Meeting. Full story
