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China
will seek to advance free trade at ASEAN summit
AFP
- Beijing
China
is eager to push forward a free trade zone with the association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at next week’s ASEAN summit,
as well as discussing a similar deal with Japan and South Korea,
officials said.
Premier
Zhu Rongji will lead the Chinese delegation to the event in Cambodia
and has a busy schedule in Phnom Penh, foreign ministry officials
said. This includes talks with the 10 ASEAN leaders, the “10
plus three” grouping of ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea
as well as an inform summit between the three latter nations. During
the ASEAN-China gathering, Mr Zhu hopes to sign a framework agreement
on economic cooperation that will form the basis of the future China-ASEAN
free trade zone, said Ms Fu Ying, director of the foreign ministry’s
Asian department. “He will formally announce the launching
of the process of the China-ASEAN free trade zone which is a part
of the comprehensive economic framework agreement,” she told
reporters.
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