China-ASEAN Relations, October 2010 to March 2011: 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

October 2010

4th	Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attends the 8th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 8) Summit in Brussels to exchange views on ways to recover from and prevent financial crises. Wen Jiabao presents a brief account of the achievements made since the ASEM 7 Summit convened in Beijing two years ago, particularly the economic and financial recovery made by ASEM partners. He also proposes some recommendations to the ASEM 8 leaders.
12th	At the first ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) in Hanoi with the defence ministers from the 10 member states and eight of ASEAN’s dialogue partners, Chinese National Defence Minister General Liang Guanglie says, “China is positive and open to regional security cooperation and supports ASEAN centrality” in the ADMM Plus mechanism. General Liang recommends that the new forum promote mutual understanding and trust to consolidate the political foundation for regional security cooperation, and to move ahead with practical cooperation.
21st	The 7th China-ASEAN Expo opens in Nanning, Guangxi. Themed “CAFTA and New Opportunities”, this expo is the first one after the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area agreement came into effect on 1 January 2010. Deputy Director General Jia Guoyong of the Trade Development Bureau of Ministry of Commerce of China reports that the annual expo has been instrumental in boosting the economies between ASEAN and China.
29th	At the 13th ASEAN-China Summit, the ASEAN leaders and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao agree to a Joint Statement on Sustainable Development, with a view to sustaining economic growth and promoting trade and investment linkages, social development, poverty reduction and environmental protection. The joint statement substantiates the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on Sustained Recovery and Development which was adopted at the 16th ASEAN Summit in April 2010.
	The ASEAN leaders meet the three East Asian state leaders from Japan, the Republic of Korea and China at the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, where they voice their accord for the Luang Prabang Joint Declaration on ASEAN Plus Three Civil Service Cooperation. The declaration was adopted just before the ASEAN Plus Three Summit takes place, by the heads of the ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters Plus Three, during their meeting in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR.
31st	The 2010 Shanghai Expo is declared officially closed by the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Shanghai. The ASEAN member states participate in the expo and the Summit Forum preceding the closing ceremony. S. Pushpanathan, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Com-munity, says, “There was no better platform for ASEAN to reach out to 70 million Chinese visitors at one go than at the Shanghai Expo”. ASEAN is one of the 13 international organisations in the International Organisations Joint Pavilion.

November 2010

12th	Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, during his trip to Guangzhou to attend the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games, meets with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Wen says that China has become the biggest export partner and second-largest trading partner of Thailand, and the two countries should use the platform of the China-ASEAN free trade area to increase bilateral trade exchanges.
	The ASEAN-China Air Transport Agreement is signed at the 9th ASEAN and China Transport Ministers Meeting. The member states of ASEAN agree to allow designated ASEAN airlines to fly from any city with an international airport in its region to any city in China with an international airport, and vice versa with full third and fourth freedom traffic rights.
14th	At the invitation of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, China’s Vice-President Xi Jinping arrives in Singapore for a three-day official visit. After a meeting with Singapore’s then Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Xi and Lee attend the unveiling ceremony by the Singapore River bank of the monument...