An ASEAN Secretariat official said Friday in Beijing that ASEAN and China will initiate more cultural exchange programs to boost regional cooperation.

Serena Wong, head of Public Affairs at the ASEAN Secretariat, said that given the different cultural backgrounds of China and the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a better understanding of each other's culture is bound to accelerate the process of building up the China-ASEAN free trade area.

China and ASEAN have agreed to build up a FTA before 2010. Once completed, the FTA will cover a population of over 1.8 billion people.

As an effort for better mutual understanding, a grand exhibition named "City of Charm" was held on the sidelines of the Second China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Eleven cities, including Beijing of China, the City of Singapore, Chiang Mai of Thailand, Jakarta of Indonesia and Hanoi of Vietnam, staged traditional dances, crafts and specialties, providing a taste of the unique flavor of each country.

Zhai Kun, a scholar with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said China and ASEAN have announced a strategic partnership and the leaders of the two believed that such a relationship would help maintain regional peace, stability and development.

"But the implementation of government policies requires understanding and support from the people. Cultural exchange is an effective way to enhance trust and friendliness between the Chinese and ASEAN peoples," Zhai said.

To enhance cultural bonds, China and ASEAN signed a cultural Memorandum of Understanding in August.

Sun Jiazheng, Chinese minister of culture, said cultural cooperation will work as a bridge for China to understand ASEAN countries' history and tradition and help ASEAN countries understand China and its aspiration for peace, equality and common development.

According to the ASEAN Secretariat, China and ASEAN will carry out a series of programs to implement the MOU including cooperation on cultural heritage protection, the study of literature and art exhibitions.

Statistics showed that the trade volume between China and ASEAN has been growing rapidly over the past few years. From January to June, the bilateral trade volume of the two reached 59.76 billion US dollars, making ASEAN China's fourth largest trade partner.

Source: Xinhua