China-ASEAN Relations, April 2008 to September 2008: Chronology of Events

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

April 2008

1st        Vietnam and China launch an international land cable transmission system built jointly by the China Netcom Group and Vietnam's Telecom International. It represents a new information superhighway between China and ASEAN and will promote co-operation within the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.

             China and ASEAN jointly declare the opening of the China-ASEAN Expo Marketing Summit in Nanning. The Expo aims to explore effective ways to promote the China-ASEAN trade and bring experts together to discuss major issues concerning development of the Guangxi region.

4th        Guo Shengkun, Secretary of the Party Committee of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region says that Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City plays an important role in the implementation of the Vietnam-China cooperation model of "Two corridors, one economic belt". At the Guangxi economic and commercial cooperation forum in HCM, he proposes boosting cooperation in implementation of agreements reached during the China-ASEAN Seaport Development Cooperation Forum in 2007.

8th        A total of 47 delegates from the government and private sectors in Guangxi visit Brunei Darussalam to explore business opportunities. The Brunei-China Friendship Association (BCFA) Deputy President Ang Swee Chuan, also plays host to the annual China-ASEAN Expo and speaks of the solid foundation that the Expo that has laid. He foresees that the Expo will be an ideal platform for those who vie for comprehensive economic opportunities among Brunei, China and other ASEAN countries.

             The Taiwan Ministry of Finance announces that Taiwan's exports in March grew 22.8 per cent year-on-year to an all-time high of USD24.25 billion. Hsu Ray-lin, Deputy Statistics Director at the Ministry, attributes the record exports to growth in shipments to Hong Kong, China, ASEAN, South Korea and India.

24th       Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets media representatives from ASEAN nations. The representatives are on a visit to China to attend the China-ASEAN Summit Forum on Radio and Television.

28th       The China-ASEAN Business Council (CABC)'s quarterly report indicates that bilateral trade between China and ASEAN hit USD202.5 billion in 2007, surpassing a target of USD200 billion three years ahead of schedule. China-ASEAN bilateral trade reached USD54.4 billion in the first quarter of the year, up 26.2 per cent from the same period last year. ASEAN countries seem to be reaping slightly more benefits so far. China imported USD28.8 billion worth of goods from ASEAN in the first quarter. Its exports to the region, on the other hand, accounted for the remaining USD25.61 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of USD3.19 billion for China.

May

2nd        Another CABC report states that Malaysia was China's main trading partner among the ASEAN in the first quarter of the year with trade up 24 per cent and reaching USD12.2 billion. China-Malaysia trade accounted for 22 per cent of the overall trade with the ten-member grouping which totalled USD54.4 billion, a rise of 26.2 per cent, between January and March. China's exports to Malaysia rose 33.3 per cent to USD4.74 billion while imports increased 18.6 per cent to USD7.41 billion, creating a surplus of USD2.67 billion for Malaysia, almost unchanged from the USD2.69 billion in same period in 2007. The CABC data show China-Singapore trade was next on the list, growing by 11.8 per cent to USD11.4 billion with a surplus of USD2.52 billion for China. During the first quarter, China increased exports to ASEAN by 34.4 per cent to USD25.61 billion while imports saw a rise of 19.8 per cent to USD28.8...