China's FM meets Asian ministers on regional co-op

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-23 06:38

SINGAPORE -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Tuesday met separately with officials from Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Japan, Singapore and Thailand on bilateral cooperation and regional concerns, among others, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore.

In the talks with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, Yang said China highly valued the development of strategic partnership with Indonesia, hoping that the two countries will sign an action plan of the strategic partnership as soon as possible.

Foreign ministers (from L to R) Philippines' Alberto Romulo, China's Yang Jiechi, Japan's Masahiko Komura, Singapore's George Yeo and South Korea's Yu Myung-hwan link arms for a group photo during an Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus three foreign ministers meeting in Singapore, July 22, 2008. [Agencies]

On his part, the Indonesian foreign minister said his country is willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with China. He expressed the hope that Indonesia and China will jointly tackle the issue of food security in the region.

While meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who is also Foreign Minister, Yang Jiechi said that Chinese leaders are paying attention to enhancing economic and trade ties with Vietnam.

Through joint efforts, the Chinese foreign minister said, the two sides agreed to speed up the border demarcation and landmark plantation and ensure the stability in the South China Sea and healthy development of Sino-Vietnamese relations.

Khiem said his country will keep high-level exchanges with China and will push ahead the border demarcation and landmark plantation so that the task will be completed by the end of the year.

In the talks with Myanmar's Foreign Minister Nyan Win, Yang said China is happy to see Myanmar has taken concrete measures to cooperate with international community to conduct relief and reconstruct the country after the devastating cyclone in the country.

Yang said China is willing to make active contributions to the rebuilding of the cyclone-hit areas in Myanmar.

Win expressed thanks for China's support and assistance, saying that Myanmar will cooperate with China in the post-cyclone reconstruction.

In a meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, Yang said both China and Japan should enhance mutual trust and deepen cooperation in international and regional affairs.

Komura said Japan is willing to keep high-level dialogue and promote Japan-China all-round strategic and mutually beneficial relations.

In talks with Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo, Yang said that the issue of food and energy security poses a serious challenge to the world economy, China and Singapore should strengthen cooperation in the area in order to tackle the problems and join their hands to keep economic stability and development in the region.

In a meeting with Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Sahat Banditkul, who represents Thailand in the on-gong ASEAN Foreign Ministerial meeting in Singapore, Yang expressed the hope that Thailand and Cambodia will exercise utmost restraint and resolve the border dispute peacefully, saying that both Thailand and Cambodia are China's good neighbors and member states of the ASEAN, they should solve the dispute through dialogue and peaceful means.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.