The 10th ASEAN Summit opened Monday under the theme of "Advancing a Secure and Dynamic ASEAN Family through Greater Solidarity, Economic Integration and Social Progress."

Bounnhang Vorachith, chairman of the 10th ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Nations) Summit and Lao prime minister said at the opening ceremony that the summit will achieve great success and mark an important milestone toward its goal of a secure and dynamic family.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippine, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

He said the finalization of the Plan of Action on the ASEAN Security Community and Plan of Action on the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, to be jointly signed by the leaders at the end of the on-going summit, constitutes a significant achievement.

He said that since the last ASEAN summit held in Bali, Indonesia, the association recorded many important successes in the political, security, and social-economic development cooperation fields.

He added that ASEAN cooperation has been further strengthened, while the ASEAN basic and sacrosanct principles of consensus and non-interference in internal affairs of each other have been strongly preserved.

The summit chairman hoped that with the goals set by ASEAN Vision 2020, and Bali Concord II, combined with the guidelines defined by the Vientiane Action Program, a successor program to Hanoi Action Plan, the association will be bond together in partnership in dynamic development, in a community of caring societies committed to upholding cultural diversity and social harmony, and in an environment of peace, stability and friendship.

He said in order to overcome obstacles and impacts of globalization and to accelerate economic integration of ASEAN, he fully support the establishment of the ASEAN Development Fund.

Concerning Laos, he said, his country is a land-locked country having additional difficulty in its integration into ASEAN.

In this regard, he wishes to reiterate Laos' proposal of turning the Laos from a land-locked country to a land-linked one, by helping Laos to have rail-road link with a Singapore-Kunming ASEAN railway network.

He expected the ASEAN leaders to support the proposal.

As the relations between ASEAN and other world countries, he said that in the past years, ASEAN cooperation with the outside world has been broadly expanded.

The fact that China, India, Japan and Pakistan have acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in South East Asia, and that Russia, and Republic of Korea will accede to it, constitutes a significant step in turning the treaty into a Code of Conduct, governing the relations not just among ASEAN countries but also between ASEAN and other countries outside South East Asia.

He said that the role of ASEAN has been increasing recognized in ensuring peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

He added that ASEAN relevance recognized by its Dialogue Partners is another important achievement of ASEAN in its external relations. Many countries have proposed to hold a summit with ASEAN and in 2005 ASEAN will hold summits with the Russian Federation.

The two-day ASEAN summit opened here Monday morning.

Backgrounder: Chronology of ASEAN+3 summits

The following is a chronology of ASEAN+3 summits, which were initiated by ASEAN on its 30th anniversary in 1997.

Dec. 15, 1997 -- China attended the first ASEAN+3 summit in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia. At the meeting, the leaders reached consensus on the prospect for East Asia in the 21st century, and development and cooperation in the region.

The then Chinese President Jiang Zemin delivered an important speech entitled "Join Hands in Cooperation and Build a Future Together," which reviewed the great changes and improvements in East Asian countries over the previous three decades.

Dec. 16, 1998 -- The second ASEAN+3 summit was held in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam. The leaders exchanged views on strengthening cooperation between East Asian countries, overcoming difficulties caused by the financial crisis and maintaining peace, stability and development in the region. They unanimously agreed that the summit was of great importance for the ASEAN countries, and China, Japan and South Korea.

The then Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao delivered a speech, offering China's advice for the East Asian countries on overcoming the financial crisis and resuming economic growth.

Nov. 28, 1999 -- The then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji attended the third ASEAN+3 summit in Manila, capital of the Philippines, offering China's advice on the direction and scope of cooperation among the East Asian countries. A Joint Declaration on Cooperation for East Asia was issued at the end of the summit.

Nov. 24, 2000 -- The fourth ASEAN+3 summit was held in Singapore. At the meeting, the leaders exchanged views on the prospects and cooperation of East Asian countries. The then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji elaborated on China's views and advice on these issues.

Nov. 5, 2001 -- The then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji attended the fifth ASEAN+3 summit in Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei. The leaders discussed the East Asia Prospect Group Report, and exchanged views on strengthening cooperation and communications in various fields for East Asia.

Nov. 4, 2002 -- The sixth ASEAN+3 summit was held in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. At the meeting, the then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji expressed China's determination, and its attitude, on joining the regional cooperation.

Oct. 7, 2003 -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended the seventh ASEAN+3 summit in the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Leaders at the meeting discussed regional and international political, security and economic issues, as well as cooperation and partnership between ASEAN and the three countries.