China-ASEAN Relations, September 2014 to December 2014: Chronology of Events

SEPTEMBER 2014

4th	Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Malaysian Supreme Head of State Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah at the Great Hall of the People. Xi expresses his appreciation for Halim’s visit to China as both countries observe the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship. Halim adds that Prime Minister Najib Razak’s successful visit to China in May 2014 has boosted bilateral ties and strengthened their comprehensive strategic partnership.
15th	Chinese Vice Premier of the State Council Zhang Gaoli meets Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lao Vice President Bounnhang Vorachit, Myanmar Vice President U Nyan Tun, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who arrive Nanning, Guangxi province, to attend the 11th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit. The ASEAN state representatives have reached a consensus with China on deepening corporation, dealing with differences properly and promoting greater development of bilateral relations.
16th	Zhang Gaoli and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong grace the opening ceremony of the 11th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS), themed “Jointly Build Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century”. Singapore is this year’s country of honour. Zhang, in his speech, emphasises the cultural heritage that ASEAN and China share.
25th	Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and the Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Xi stresses that China-Cambodia relations now demonstrate a sound development. The Cambodian royal family expresses its willingness to inherit the roadmap of friendship with China paved by the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk and to work actively to promote the continuous development of bilateral relations.
27th	Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn meet on the sidelines of the annual high-level debate of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York. Both sides vow to promote overall strategic partnership between the two countries.

OCTOBER 2014

6th	ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh hail the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Disaster Management Cooperation between the ASEAN and the People’s Republic of China as a “milestone in developing partnership with China in the area of disaster management”. The MoU provides for RMB50 million to support the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Program, the operation of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance in the area of disaster management (AHA Centre), and the ASEAN Secretariat’s capacity-building programmes on disaster management.
8th	Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak meets with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Yang Jiechi points out that China and Malaysia have scored substantive progress in bilateral relations and will continue to advance practical bilateral cooperation.
16th	Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Milan, Italy. Li points out that China and Vietnam should tap onto the overall direction of the development of bilateral relations and handle maritime differences with care so as to foster favourable conditions for bilateral cooperation. Nguyen states that Vietnam stands ready to work with the Chinese to implement the consensus reached by both sides, strengthen high-level exchanges, cement traditional friendship, and boost mutual understanding and trust. In Milan, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha meets with Chinese Premier Li. Both sides are keen to advance the friendship that China and Thailand traditionally share. Prayuth says that Thailand would expand cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, infrastructure construction and connectivity, so as to boost Thailand-China relations.
17th	In Milan, too, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Lee says that Singapore is willing to work with China to successfully implement the cooperative projects planned by the two countries, expand cooperation with China’s central and western regions, and expand cooperation in logistics, investment and green development, in order to promote connectivity and sustainable...