The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China have many potential areas to explore to further step up their existing partnership, a Malaysian official said in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

"I believe there are many possible areas of collaboration between China and ASEAN, more specifically in the energy, water and communications sectors," Malaysian Energy, Water and Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik said.

Since the initiation of reform and opening-up policy more than 20 years ago, China's economy has been growing fast, Lim told the ASEAN-China Business Forum 2006 which opened here on Thursday.

"Coupled with that, the Go Global policy of China has also push Chinese businesses to seek global markets and they are very successful too in this endeavor," he told the two-day event.

With the fast growing economy, however, China's energy landscape has changed rapidly in recent years and it is becoming a major energy consumer, he said.

In the future, China will require more huge investment in the energy sector to meet its increasing need for oil, water, electricity, etc., he said.

"This is certainly an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs from Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to tap into, " he said.

ASEAN companies, including Malaysian power and oil and gas enterprise currently have cemented cooperative ties with their partners in China, he said, adding that these paved the way for greater cooperation between the two sides.

Lim also noted that China has the largest population in the world and cities in China are also developing rapidly, which requires sufficient supply of clean water.

The number of water plants and waste water treatment plants are expected to grow remarkably in China in the coming years, he said.

ASEAN and China could leverage on each other's strength to cooperate in this area, he added.

In the area of communications, Lim said, China is the world's single largest telecom market.

The country, which has a huge pool of talents in the field of information and communications technology, is also be able to design, manufacture and produce their own telecommunications equipment and products, he said.

Yet, he pointed out that the data activities are relatively low in China.

The official urged the two sides to create a win-win cooperation in this area through tapping their own respective advantages.

The ASEAN-China Business Forum 2006 is organized by Malaysia's Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute. More than 100 delegates, scholars, experts and businessmen from ASEAN, China and other countries are attending the gathering to exchange views on how to forge new partnership in a changing era between ASEAN and China.

Source: Xinhua