China, ASEAN to begin 10th senior officials' consultation

China will attend the 10th China-ASEAN Senior Officials' Consultation held in Sihanoukville, Cambodia from June 3 to 4, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao in Beijing Thursday.

China's Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang will lead a Chinese delegation to attend the meeting.

Liu said at regular press briefing that the consultation was launched in 1995 as an important annual political consultation mechanism for the two sides.

During the upcoming meeting, the two sides will exchange views in an in-depth manner on deepening the China-ASEAN strategic partnership for peace and prosperity as well as international and regional issues of common interest.

The meeting will also make preparation for the informal foreign ministers' meeting between China and ASEAN and the China-ASEAN summit at the end of this year, Liu said.

The China-ASEAN relationship has been developing rapidly, said Liu, adding that with the issuance of the Joint Declaration between China and Member States of ASEAN on the Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity, China became the first non-ASEAN state to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

This signals a new height of bilateral ties and opens up fresh prospects for further development of bilateral relations, he said

Source: Xinhua