China-ASEAN Relations, September 2012 to December 2012: 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

SEPTEMBER 2012
21st–25th	China and ASEAN sign investment programmes worth more than USD6 billion at the 9th China-ASEAN expo held in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping attends the opening ceremony.
24th	On the sidelines of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi meets Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Laos Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, and Myanmar Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin, exchanging views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern.
26th	Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, Wu Bangguo, meets with the President of the Thai National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives Somsak Kitasuranont, who attends the 13th Western China International Fair held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Wu says that China is promoting the development of China’s western region, which has brought new opportunities to deepen practical cooperation between China and Thailand.
27th	The mission of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN, which will serve to promote and strengthen the strategic relationship between China and ASEAN, is inaugurated in Jakarta. Chinese Ambassador to the mission Yang Xiuping and Secretary General of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan attend the ceremony.
OCTOBER 2012
18th	At the Fourth Meeting of the ASEAN plus Three Committee on Women (ACW+3) held in Vientiane, Laos, Vice President of the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) Meng Xiaosi says that Chinese women would be more than happy to join hands with women of East Asian countries to promote gender equality and environmental sustainability.
23rd	China opens a new consulate general in Khon Kaen in northeastern Thailand. The jurisdiction of the new consulate general, which was established under an agreement between the two countries in April 2012, covers 20 northeastern provinces of Thailand. It is the third Chinese consulate general in the country following those in Chiang Mai in the north and Songkla in the south of Thailand.
29th	An agreement is forged between Thailand’s Kasikorn Bank and 19 Chinese partner banks, which include China Minsheng Banking, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, China Merchants Bank, etc., to create the largest Sino-Thai factoring service network. It is expected that the overall factoring transactions under the agreement will reach about USD957 million. Under this cooperation, Kasikorn Bank and the Chinese banks agree to purchase trade receivables from each other, as well as offer the service of debt collection from each others’ trade receivables. Meanwhile, business loans will be offered to reduce international trade risks and assure importers and exporters of smooth and flexible business operations.
NOVEMBER 2012
4th–8th	The 16th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting of the heads of national defence universities and colleges held in Beijing aims to strengthen communication among members of the ARF in defence and security areas, and promote the exchange of military education between China and other countries. The meeting, themed “Education on National Security Strategy in a Changing World”, is co-chaired by the National Defence University, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (CPLA), and the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies of Brunei Darussalam. Participants from defence universities and colleges see the need to adapt their programmes to keep up with the evolving security environment, as well as the growing needs of the military, in terms of its expanding roles, keeping up with technological advancements and in managing the mindsets of different generations.
6th	Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attends the second session of the Ninth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Vientiane, Laos and delivers a keynote speech titled “Sharing the Task of Promoting the Steady Economic Growth of the World”. Wen raises a four-point initiative on deepening Asia...