Chronology of Events: January 2018 to March 2018

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 (i) a chronology of events and (ii) important documents.

—the Editors

JANUARY 2018

10th	The Second Lancang–Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders’ Meeting convenes in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with the attendance of leaders from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen co-chair the meeting. The leaders adopt the Five-Year Action Plan of the Lancang–Mekong Cooperation (2018–2022) and issue the Phnom Penh Declaration. The action plan sets 2018–2019 as the foundation-laying stage for strengthening sectoral cooperation planning and implementing small- and medium-sized cooperation projects, and the 2020–2022 period as the consolidation and expansion stage. The declaration expresses the political will of participating countries to promote LMC for greater achievements on the principles of peace, stability and non-interference. The meeting is preceded by the Sixth LMC Senior Officials’ Meeting, held on 9 January, which reviewed the relevant documents including the list of the second batch of tentative cooperation projects, and reports of the six working groups of priority areas.
11th	Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with King Norodom Sihamoni and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during his official visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Li and Hun Sen jointly witness the signing of 19 bilateral cooperation documents covering politics, economy and trade, health, forestry, agriculture, and people-to-people and cultural engagements. Both sides also issue a joint communique, agreeing to further enhance the remarkable bilateral relations established over the past 60 years and to align Cambodia’s development plans and strategy with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Li also meets separately with Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, who are in Cambodia to attend the Second Lancang–Mekong Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting.
17th	China and Myanmar hold the Third Round of 2+2 High-level Consultations, led by their respective Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence, in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The two sides agree to maintain communication and coordination on the northern Myanmar issue, and to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions, personnel and major projects in the area. Both sides also express willingness to accelerate the building of the China–Myanmar Economic Corridor to promote development in the border areas of Myanmar.
26th	The 17th Meeting of the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Tourism Ministers is held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat and Vice Chairman of China National Tourism Administration Du Jiang co-chair the meeting. Minister Weerasak reports that due to the successful implementation of “Visit ASEAN@50”, ASEAN welcomed 126 million international visitors in 2017. China, Japan and the Republic of Korea are now important tourist sources for ASEAN. The ministers discuss the reports from the Meeting of the APT National Tourism Organisations, which was held on 24 January, and adopts the APT Tourism Cooperation Work Plan 2018– 2020. The meeting is held in conjunction with the 21st Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers and the 2018 ASEAN Tourism Forum. The 18th Meeting of the APT Tourism Ministers will be held in January 2019 in Halong city, Vietnam.
29th	China’s Ambassador to ASEAN Huang Xilian presents his letter of credence to the new Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi at the ASEAN Secretariat. Dato Lim, formerly a permanent secretary of Brunei’s ministry of foreign affairs and ministry of trade, assumed office as the 14th secretary-general of ASEAN on 1 January 2018.

FEBRUARY 2018

4th–8th

Chinese Minister of National Defence General Chang Wanquan visits Singapore. On 6 February, Chang Wanquan attends the ASEAN–China Defence Informal Meeting, which is hosted by Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in conjunction with the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Retreat. During the informal meeting, Ng points out that the ASEAN countries have accepted...