China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting opened in Phuket, Thailand. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi attended the meeting and delivered a speech

On July 22, 2009, the Foreign Ministers' Meeting between China and ASEAN opened in Phuket, Thailand. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi attended the meeting and delivered a speech.

He said that China and ASEAN member states, in front of the complicated and deep changes in the international situation and the impact of the international financial crisis, have faced up to the difficulties, tried to turn challenges into opportunities and achieved new progresses of bilateral cooperation in the following aspects: enhancing political mutual trust and consolidating confidence in cooperation; completing the bilateral negotiations on the investment agreement and paving the way for the comprehensive building of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area; improving trade facilitation and actively tackling the financial risks; pushing forward the pragmatic cooperation in the fields of agriculture, energy, environmental protection, food and energy security and jointly cultivating new economic growth points.

He pointed out that China and ASEAN enjoy a solid foundation and great potential of partnership. China expects to reinforce exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN in the following six aspects under the current circumstances:

First, opening market, complementing each other with advantages, opposing protectionism, actively enlarging the bilateral and multilateral trade and economic cooperation and striving to complete the building of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area comprehensively in 2010; promoting the bilateral cooperation in the fields of customs, quality inspection and finance and improving trade facilitation.

Second, pushing forward infrastructure and network construction in such fields as road, railway, waterway, aviation and information and communication technology.

Third, strengthening the sub-regional cooperation in the Greater Mekong River Basin, the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) and the Pan-Beibu Bay to boost the all-round cooperation between China and ASEAN.

Fourth, seeking sustainable development by changing the development modes and cultivating new economic growth points; taking agricultural science and technology as the basis of actively implementing the China-ASEAN plan of increasing grain output, completing the joint development of new and renewable energies at the earliest date possible and setting the development of recycle economy as a new area and bright spot of China-ASEAN cooperation.

Fifth, sharing information and exchanging experience to jointly address the non-traditional security challenges; enhancing enforcement cooperation on drug control and fighting against pirates; making concerted efforts to prevent and control flu and other emerging infectious diseases.

Sixth, boosting cooperation on education, culture, media and tourism and consolidating the social foundation of strategic partnership.

Yang stressed that China always pursues peace, development and cooperation and is willing to join hands with all the other countries in the world, including the ASEAN member states, to handle risks and challenges, share development opportunities and build a harmonious world with lasting peace and common prosperity.