On the afternoon of October 30, 2006, the Commemorative Summit marking the 15th Anniversary of the Dialogue Relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was opened in Nanning.

Present at the summit were Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and leaders from10 ASEAN countries including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Myanmar Prime Minister General Soe Win, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in his opening remarks that over the past 15 years, relations between China and ASEAN have evolved from removal of misgivings to commencement of dialogue to enhancement of mutual trust and to the final establishment of strategic partnership.  "Relations between China and ASEAN have never been as good as they are today," he said.  Wen said the two sides have greatly enhanced mutual political trust, conducted fruitful trade and economic cooperation, made steady progress in building free trade area and expanded exchanges and cooperation in all fields.

China-ASEAN relations are a "fine example" of friendly exchanges and cooperation between countries in this region, and have brought real benefits to the peoples of China and the ASEAN countries, Wen said, adding that the relations also made important contribution to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world as a whole.

He said in retrospect of the past 15 years both sides have laid a solid foundation for China-ASEAN relations, and he believed the development of bilateral ties will face new opportunities and challenges in the future. The purpose of the summit is to look back and sum up the achievements and experience of China-ASEAN relations in the past 15 years and together chart the course for future cooperation.  "I will be happy to work with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other colleagues to make our meeting a fruitful one, linking the past with future and raising our strategic partnership to an even higher level," he said.

Arroyo, president of the Philippines that holds the rotating presidency of the ASEAN, also delivered a speech at the summit.