Follow-up mechanism needed to further push ASEAN-China ICT cooperation: official

A follow-up mechanism is needed to implement and further refine those proposals generating from the ASEAN-China information and communication technology (ICT) cooperation, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said on Friday in PINANG, Malaysia.

Significant initiatives and benefits had been seen since the First ASEAN-China ICT Week was launched in China last year and issued the Beijing Declaration, Najib said as the ASEAN-China ICT Ministerial Forum opened here in conjunction with the Second ASEAN- China ICT Week.

The proposals, including the construction of the ASEAN-China information superhighway, joint development and promotion of applicable technology suitable for rural and remote areas, and the creation of an ASEAN-China Coordination Framework for Network and Information Security Emergency Responses, are highly commendable, he said.

The measures, including the establishment of working groups which will meet each year before the ASEAN-China ICT Week, are needed to be tapped to discuss, plan and strategize to implement and realize the proposals or benefits, he said.

Najib also praised the role of ASEAN-China ICT Week in strengthening and boosting the ICT cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China.

The ASEAN-China ICT Ministerial Forum is one of the key parts of the ongoing Second ASEAN-China ICT Week here. The ministers or their representatives from China and ASEAN countries are expected to issue a joint statement later on Friday.

Source: Xinhua