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China-ASEAN Relations, April 2010 to September 2010:Chronology of Events
April 2010
| 3rd | The Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation between Indonesia and China hold its 10th Session at Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming and his counterpart, Indonesian Minister of Trade, Mari Elka Pangestu, jointly host the session. Indonesia and China agree to implement the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) as scheduled and not postpone its application on 228 tariff posts as requested by Indonesian entrepreneurs. |
| 5th | During the Mekong River Commission Summit, China makes a strong commitment for the first time to the five countries on the lower Mekong: Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. All countries should have a discussion before building dams that might damage the environment or harm people living along the river. The Summit endorses a declaration [End Page 178] over four issues: a) food security, energy and hydropower development; b) climate change impact mitigation; c) infrastructure development; and d) increasing involvement of civil society stakeholders in planning activities and the decision-making processes. |
| 5th | Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Chinese Trade Minister Chen Deming meet at the State Palace in Jakarta. Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Hatta Rajasa, says that "China will allocate more than USD15 billion [for investment] in the ASEAN region. For Indonesia, this will be prioritised on infrastructure and transportation." |
| 9th | A Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) is signed during the 16th Summit of ASEAN held at Hanoi. The DOC is an important document between the ASEAN and China aimed at promoting trust-building and cooperation. The concerned parties pledged to observe and accelerate the implementation of the commitment. |
| 13th | President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao exchange congratulatory messages with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between their countries. Vice President Xi Jinping and his Indonesian counterpart Boediono also exchange congratulatory messages on the occasion. |
| 16th | The ASEAN-China Joint Working Group convenes a meeting on implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) in Hanoi. The two-day meeting underlines the significance of the DOC in order to develop trust and ensure peace, stability, security and cooperation in the region. |
| 22nd-25th | Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pays an official visit to Brunei, Indonesia and Myanmar at the invitations of the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein. |
| 27th | An ASEAN-China Senior Officials' Consultation Meeting takes place in the central city of Hue, with the participation of assistant foreign ministers from the ten ASEAN countries and China. Vietnamese Assistant Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue co-chair the meeting which includes the ASEAN Deputy General Secretary. |
May 2010
| 4th | Member countries of the ASEAN agree to jointly negotiate with China on oil exploration projects in the resource-rich but hotly-contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. During the ASEAN summit in Hanoi, [End Page 179] members agree to negotiate as one body to avoid being placed in a weakened bargaining position with China. |
| 17th | Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh meets with visiting Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Ma Xiaotian, in Hanoi. At the meeting, Thanh welcomes the Chinese delegation, led by Ma to attend the Security Policy Conference of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Vietnam. |
| 20th | Taiwanese president Ma Ying Jeou says Taiwan will push for bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) with the ASEAN member states once it has inked the Taiwan-China Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). |
June 2010
| 9th | A delegation of Chinese businessmen meet with Cambodian business people to discuss investment opportunities and local business partners, aimed at strengthening trade cooperation between the two countries. The Chinese delegation, consisting of around 80 business people of 50 companies from Guangzhou, met with more than 100 Cambodian businesspeople headed by Kith Meng, president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce. |
| 16th | During an official visit to Vientiane, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping says China's economic cooperation with Laos is promising and urges both sides to take more concrete measures to boost it. He says that the Chinese side is willing to expand the scope and scale of bilateral trade and economic cooperation based on the principles of seeking mutual benefit and common development. |
| 26th | Chinese President Hu Jintao meets Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Toronto. |
| They both agree on further development of a strategic partnership between their two countries. |
July 2010
| 1st | The Cambodian National Assembly approves the framework agreement on comprehensive economic cooperation between ASEAN and China, a move aimed at attracting more investments from China. |
| 16th | Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai announces that Malaysia and China will jointly set up a Chinese traditional medicine centre of excellence in Selangor. [End Page 180] |
| 21st | China and Indonesia celebrate their 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties. |
| 22nd | Chinese State Councillor Meng Jianzhu meets with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng and calls for closer cooperation between the two nations in the fight against cross-border crime and terrorism. |
| 23rd | Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi delivers a speech at the 17th ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' meeting in Hanoi, urging a boost in regional security. |
| The People's Bank of China signs a 150-billion-yuan (USD22.12 billion) currency swap agreement with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The agreement spans three years and can be extended if both sides agree. The move is aimed at promoting bilateral trade and direct investment. | |
| 26th | China and Singapore successfully conclude high-level bilateral meetings which frankly address issues arising from the Tianjin Eco-City project and also sign three agreements on taxes, currency and films. |
| Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi rejects Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's call for the US to work with the ASEAN, China and other countries to resolve the dispute over islands in the South China Sea. The dispute has raised concerns that an increasingly powerful China could seek to dominate Asian waters. | |
| 29th | The 5th Conference on ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship Organizations opens in Singapore. More than 300 government officials, political leaders and business delegates from ASEAN member countries and China gather to discuss opportunities to further strengthen efforts with respect to the economy, culture, education, health and sports. |
August 2010
| 3rd | The Chinese State Councillor Liu Yandong proposes that China and the ASEAN study the feasibility of educational integration to ensure the supply of skilled people for the development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. |
| 18th | Chinese President Hu Jintao meets with Singapore President S.R. Nathan as the two countries celebrate 20 years of diplomatic ties. They praise the development of bilateral ties and pledge further cooperation. |
| 26th | The ninth China-ASEAN (10+1) economic and trade ministers conference convenes in Da Nang. Economic and trade ministers from China and the ten ASEAN countries attend the conference during which they appraise the implementation of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and comment on the results of the China-ASEAN free trade area. [End Page 181] |
| According to a draft of a joint statement issued after a meeting of the Chinese and ASEAN economic ministers, China proposes that ASEAN use the yuan for trade settlements. | |
| 29th | Vietnam hosts the 8th East Asia Forum to Promote Regional Cooperation. This forum is the annual dialogue between 10 ASEAN members and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. |
September 2010
| 10th | Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, H.E. Hor Namhong, meet with the Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN, Mrs Tong Xiaoling, at Phnom Penh. The discussion touches on the South China Sea issue, the establishment of the East Asian Community and the Myanmar issue. |
| The National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong receives Ma Biao, the Governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, who is in Vietnam to attend the third conference of the joint working committee between Guangxi and Vietnam's border provinces of Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ha Giang and Quang Ninh. | |
| 11th | Some 54 trade, investment and credit cooperation projects with a total value of USD1.9 billion are signed during an economic-trade forum between Vietnam and China's Guangxi Province. The projects cover mostly areas of mechanical engineering, machinery, cement, urban infrastructure, wind power, irrigation and hydropower. |
| 18th | The Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Director of Foreign Trade Saut Hutagalung states that China intends to increase its investment in Indonesia's fisheries industry. |
| 21st | Commemorating the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations, the governments of Indonesia and China commit to signing an action plan in the near future to speed up the implementation of the two countries' strategic partnership. Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu says the action plan would include details on what sectors would be prioritised in the cooperation and the establishment of a working group on trade resolution and economic cooperation. |
| 23rd | Before a meeting between President Barack Obama and the ASEAN leaders that will focus on the territorial spats with China, President Benigno Aquino says that the group of Southeast Asian nations would be unified should China use its weight as regional superpower in territorial disputes in the South China [End Page 182] |
| 24th | A seminar on trade and economic cooperation between Vietnam and China is held in Ho Chi Minh City, offering an opportunity for businesses from HCM City and Guangdong Province's Zhuhai city to boost bilateral trade and investment cooperation. |
| 27th | The joint statement released after the summit between President Barack Obama and ASEAN leaders contains a clear message that the ASEAN-US strategic partnership is not aimed at China but is geared towards helping to maintain peace and stability in the region. |
| 29th | Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, states that China is ready to enhance cooperation with Indonesia in various areas. He made the remark in his meeting with former Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri. |
Footnotes
This chronology of events in ASEAN-China relations were mainly sourced from the ASEAN Secretariat web <http://www.ASEANsec.org/>; The Straits Times; Bangkok Post; Bernama (Barisan National News Agency); Comparative Connections: An E-Journal on East Asian Bilateral Relations <http://csis.org/pacfor/cc/>; Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http:www.fmprc.gov.cn>; Far East Economic Review; Peoples' Daily; South China Morning Post; Manila Standard; BBC; The Jakarta Post; Borneo Bulletin; Associate Press Newswire and Xinhuanet <http://www.xinhuanet.com>.
