Chinese premier, Philippine president express satisfaction with China-ASEAN relations

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Tuesday in Manila expressed satisfaction with China-ASEAN relations in the past 16 years, said a joint statement issued at the end of an official visit to the Philippines by the Chinese premier.

The statement said the two leaders have agreed to advance China- ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) relations to a higher level in the spirit of the Joint Statement of China-ASEAN Commemorative Summit which was held in October last year in Nanning, China.

The Philippines is the current president country of ASEAN and has just hosted the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, central Philippines.

They have expressed confidence that ASEAN and China would soon agree on activities and projects to implement the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea and work towards the conclusion of a Regional Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, said the joint statement.

The two leaders also acknowledged that the tripartite Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking in the South China Sea by China, the Philippines and Vietnam serves as a model for cooperation in the region, said the joint statement.

They agreed that possible next steps for cooperation among the three parties should be explored to bring collaboration to a higher level and increase the momentum of trust and confidence in the region, the joint statement said.

President Arroyo welcomed the seventh trilateral meeting of leaders of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea in Cebu held on Sunday and expressed her confidence that it would foster greater mutual trust, mutual benefit and cooperation among the countries in Northeast Asia, said the statement.

Premier Wen and President Arroyo welcomed the resumption of the Six-Party Talks on nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and urged the concerned parties to continue working towards a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, according to the joint statement.

They agreed to further strengthen their coordination and cooperation in the ASEAN+3, Asian Regional Forum, East Asian Summit, APEC, Asia-Europe Meeting, the United Nations, World Trade Organization and other regional and multilateral forums, said the joint statement.

Source: Xinhua