Resources for China-ASEAN relations.

Wu, Dan

As a research institute based in Singapore, the EAI monitors developments in relations and interactions between China and the individual countries of Southeast Asia as well as the ASEAN grouping as a whole. This material is presented in the form of (1) a chronology of events, and (2) important documents.

--the Editors

CHINA-ASEAN RELATIONS, JANUARY 2013 TO APRIL 2013: CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

JANUARY 2013

16th-18th

The China-ASEAN Economic and Trade Forum is held in Boao, Hainan Province. Diplomats and officials from ASEAN countries attend the Forum and brief the Chinese entrepreneurs on their own countries' investment environment, policies and incentives.

20th

China and Myanmar hold the first strategic security consultation in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. China's Deputy Chief of the PLA General Staff Headquarters, Qi Jianguo, and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's Defence Services and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General Soe Win, exchange views on the regional security status and bilateral relations between the two countries as well as between the armed forces.

28th

Chinese Defence Minister, Liang Guanglie, meets with with Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan, major general of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Liang expresses support for Brunei's holding a rotating presidency of the ASEAN in 2013 and he adds that China hopes to make joint efforts with ASEAN countries to increase mutual trust and make contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

29th

Top Chinese legislator, Wu Bangguo, meets parliament leaders from Malaysia and Laos respectively at the 21st annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parlimentary Forum (APPF) held in Vladivostok, Russia to discuss bilateral ties and ways for further cooperation. Wu says the relations between China and ASEAN play an important role in maintaining stability and promoting development in Asia, and that China will continue to support the integration process of ASEAN and back its unity and development.

29th-31st

Brunei's second minister of foreign affairs and trade, Lim Jock Seng, visits Beijing and meets with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. Lim says Brunei will positively advance the development of the strategic cooperative partnership between China and ASEAN during its rotating presidency.

31st

China reiterates its opposition to the Philippines' request to take South China Sea disputes to a UN tribunal. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, makes the remarks after Chairman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Ed Royce, met with Philippine officials two days earlier. Hong says all countries signing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) should adhere to their commitments and that disputes should be solved through negotiations between the sovereign states directly involved.

FEBRUARY 2013

4th

Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Jia Qinglin, visits Malaysia and launches the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park, a development area of seven square kilometres, as a "sister park" to the China-Malaysia Qingzhou Industrial Park in China's Shandong Province. China and Malaysia also signed a series of cooperative agreements during Jia's visit.

22nd

The president of China International Water and Electric Corporation (CWE), Wang Yu, says at a meeting with commercial counsellors from ASEAN countries that the company will invest more in ASEAN member countries and is eager to engage in more hydropower projects and contribute to hydropower development in ASEAN countries. According to Wang, CWE has been working on more than 30 contracting projects in ASEAN countries by the end of 2012.

23rd

The railway that links southwest China's Yunnan Province with the ASEAN countries becomes operational after seven years of construction. The 141-kilometre railway link between Yuxi and Mengzi, with a designed maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour, is part of the eastern line of the planned Pan-Asia Railway network. The railway link will connect China to ASEAN countries and firm up the burgeoning trade links with the regional bloc.

26th

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Thailand sign a cooperation arrangement on strengthening trade and economic relations. Hong Kong's Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Gregory So, and Thai Minister of Commerce, Boonsong Teriyapirom, sign the pact. The cooperation arrangement aims to encourage and promote economic cooperation in trade in goods and services, investment, trade-related rules and regulations, collaboration of small and medium enterprises, logistics and transport, tourism, information and communication technology, applied research and development, human resource development, intellectual property rights and the creative economy's development.

MARCH 2013

21st

Chinese President Xi Jinping vows to boost ties with Vietnam and enhance bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields including bilateral economic and trade cooperation and exchanges in culture, science and technology in a telephone conversation with Vietnamese Communist Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong. Trong congratulates Xi on his election as Chinese president.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds telephone talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on strategic cooperation between the two nations in trade, science and technology, tourism, education, law enforcement and culture. Najib offers his congratulations to Li on his endorsement as the new Chinese premier.

28th

The spokesman of China's Ministry of National Defence announces that China will send troops to take part in the ASEAN plus 8 joint drill to be held in Brunei in June. The joint drill will be held by the ASEAN and eight partners (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, the Republic of Korea and the United States).

APRIL 2013

2nd

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with the senior officials and diplomatic envoys of ASEAN countries who attend the 19th China-ASEAN Senior Officials Consultation. Wang affirms the new Chinese government's continued support for ASEAN to play a leading role in East Asian cooperation, and for the integration of ASEAN, as well as to properly handle the differences between China and ASEAN countries through peaceful and friendly consultations.

6th-10th

Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang. China and Cambodia agree to establish an intergovernmental coordination committee between the two countries and jointly implement the Action Plan on the Implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Cooperation between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Royal Government of Cambodia signed during this visit.

22nd

The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang, holds talks with Somsak Kitasuranont, president of the National Assembly and speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand in Beijing. Zhang says the two sides should continuously step up strategic coordination, take care of each other's concerns and enhance mutual trust. Zhang also urges both sides to explore new growth areas in economic cooperation by rapidly expanding trade and investment.

This chronology of events in ASEAN-China relations was sourced mainly from the ASEAN Secretariat website <http://www.ASEANsec.org/>; Bangkok Post; BBC; Bernama (Barisan National News Agency); Borneo Bulletin; Comparative Connections: An E-Journal on East Asian Bilateral Relations <http://csis.org/pacfor/cc/>; Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/>; The Jakarta Post; Manila Standard; Peoples' Daily; South China Morning Post; The Straits Times; The Associated Press Newswire and Xinhuanet <http://www.xinhuanet.com>.

CHINA-ASEAN RELATIONS, JANUARY 2013 TO APRIL 2013: IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS Compiled by WU Dan

21st December 2012

Vision Statement of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit (20th Anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations) <http://www.asean.org/images/2012/news/documents/ Final%20version%20of%20ASEAN-India%20Vision%20 Statement.pdf>

19th February 2013

Statement by the Chairman of ASEAN of the Underground Nuclear Test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea <http://www.asean.org/images/2013/political/Statement%20 %20FINAL.pdf>

13th March 2013

Joint Media Statement of the 12th ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) and the EU Trade Commissioner Consultations <http://www.asean.org/news/asean-statement-communiques/ item/joint-media-statement-of-the-twelfth-aem-eu-trade-commissioner-consultations?category_id=26>

18th March 2013

Vientiane Declaration of the Fifth Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit <http://www.asean.org/news/asean-statement-communiques/ item/vientiane-declaration-of-the-fifth-ayeyawady-chaophraya-mekong-economic-cooperation-strategysummit? category_id=26>

19th March 2013

Joint Statement of the Sixth Cambodia-Lao PDR-Myanmar Viet Nam (CLMV) Summit <http://www.asean.org/news/asean-statement-communiques/ item/joint-statement-of-the-6th-cambodia-lao-pdr-myanmarviet-nam-clmv-summit?category_id=26>

24th-25th April 2013

Chairman's Statement of the 22nd ASEAN Summit, "Our People, Our Future Together" <http://www.asean.org/news/asean-statement-communiques/ item/chairmans-statement-of-the-22nd-asean-summit-ourpeople-our-future-together?category_id=26>

25th April 2013

Joint Statement of the Ninth Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area Summit <http://www.asean.org/news/asean-statement-communiques/ item/joint-statement-ninth-brunei-darussalam-indonesia malaysia-philippines-east-asean-growth-area-summit-9th bimp-eaga-summit-25-april-2013-bandar-seri-begawan-brunei darussalam?category_id=26>

Wu Dan (eaiwudan@nus.edu.sg) is a Research Assistant at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. She holds a Master of International and European Relations from Linkoping University, Sweden. Her research interests include Chinese foreign policy, EU-China relations and China's relations with the Nordic countries.