Chronologies

China - Southeast Asia

Chronology from Oct 2005 to Dec 2005

: Cambodia and China sign two agreements on economic and technical cooperation, with China making a $6.25 million grant and providing an $6.25 million interest-free loan.

: Maung Aye, vice chairman of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council and vice senior general, tells a Chinese military delegation in Yangon that Myanmar will continue to develop friendly ties with China and between the two armed forces on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

: China and Thailand begin a joint meeting in Chiang Rai to strengthen ties and remove trade barriers.

: Construction of a freeway connecting Nanning, Guangxi province, and the No.1 highway of Vietnam, via Youyi Pass on the Sino-Vietnamese border, completed after three years.

: China and Malaysia release a joint communiqué after talks between Premier Wen and Malaysian PM Abdullah Badawi, in which the two sides agree to further expand strategic cooperation, conduct a feasibility study on an Economic Partnership Agreement, exchange information in nontraditional security areas, promote consultation and cooperation in defense and security areas, and expand military exchanges between the two countries.

: Philippines immigration officials arrest 142 Chinese businessmen in a shopping mall. All are released on Dec. 17 after each paying 50,000 peso ($1,000) bail.

: Chinese Premier Wen meets with Myanmar counterpart Soe Win in Kuala Lumpur to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation.

: Indonesian Ambassador to China Sudrajat says Indonesia is deeply committed to closer economic ties with China. Vice President Zeng Qinghong says during a meeting with Speaker Agung Laksono of the House of Representatives of Indonesia that China is ready to work with Indonesia to keep enriching the bilateral strategic partnership.

: Premier Wen attends first East Asia Summit (EAS). He hails relations between China and ASEAN in his speech.

: Premier Wen attends ninth ASEAN Plus China Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

: The ninth Summit of ASEAN Plus Three held in Kuala Lumpur.

: Malaysian PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says China is not a threat but a challenge as it emerges as an economic giant, in a special interview on RTM TV.

: Chinese FM Li says at the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Working Lunch that China supports ASEAN’s role as the driving force in East Asia cooperation.

: Malaysian FM Syed Hamid Albar describes the relationship between ASEAN and China as “practical and pragmatic,” and their cooperation has contributed to the regional peace, security and prosperity.

: Thai Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Khun Ying Sudarat Keyuraphan says China has agreed to supply Thailand with 96 armored personnel carriers in exchange for 100,000 tons of dried longan fruit. Delivery of the first APC will take place by August 2006 with the contract completed within a three-year period.

: Chinese naval fleet consisting of a Shenzhen missile destroyer and a Weishanhu supply ship arrive in Thailand’s Sattahip port for a four-day visit.  During the visit, the two navies hold a joint search and rescue exercise in the Gulf of Thailand.

: Malaysia announces that Chinese nationals intending to visit the country will have the option of online visa applications and paying the visa fee using credit cards when the system is up in two months.

: A widely publicized video that shows police in Malaysia conducting a strip search of a female tourist from China touches off anger in both countries; Malaysian government tries to contain the furor.

: ASEAN-China Eminent Persons Group submits report to the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting for consideration at the 9th ASEAN-China Summit.

:  The 12th round of border negotiations between China and Vietnam is held. Chinese Vice FM Wu Dawei and Vietnamese counterpart Vu Dung attend.

: Wu Guanzheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC, meets Hadi Utomo, chairman of Indonesia’s Democratic Party, and says China will combine efforts with Indonesia in promoting long-term development of bilateral ties based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

: Agriculture ministers and officials from 16 Asian countries and representatives of international organizations attend Ministerial Conference for Asian Cooperation on HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) Control in Kunming.

: 17 media practitioners from ASEAN countries (except Thailand) send media representatives to the ASEAN-China Journalists Visit Program to get first-hand information about the development in China.

: China and Singapore sign a memorandum of understanding on aviation transportation expansion.

: Southwest China’s Yunnan province announces plan to set up a joint mechanism with Laos to prevent spread of bird flu at border areas.

: State-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp. says that together with the Philippine National Oil Co. and Vietnam Oil & Gas Co., it collected seismic data from 11,020 sq. km in the gulf under an agreement signed in March.

: 13th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is held in Busan, South Korea. President Hu attends and exchanges views with other APEC economic leaders on advancing free trade, counter-terrorism and avian influenza.

: APEC CEO Summit is held in Busan, South Korea.

: Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan says China is ready to advance state and military relations with Singapore to contribute to regional peace and stability.
Nov. 17, 2005: Cambodian National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh says that Cambodian National Assembly is ready to expand cooperation with Chinese legislature to promote the rule of law.

: The 17th APEC Ministerial Meeting is held in Busan, South Korea. Ministers pledge to support the Doha Round of trade negotiations and endorse an initiative to fight bird flu. Chinese FM Li and Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai attend.

: China Assets Supervision and Administration Commission say that the China Southern Power Grid Company will supply Vietnam with electricity of 1.3 billion kwh annually for 10 years.

: Chinese Water Resources Minister Wang Shucheng and Cambodian counterpart Lim Kean Hor, sign a memorandum of understanding to strengthen and expand cooperation on water resources.

: China National Offshore Oil Corp sign an agreement with the Vietnam National Petroleum Corporation to conduct joint oil and gas survey in the Gulf of Tonkin.

: President Hu visits Vietnam to boost bilateral relations. The two countries express satisfaction over economic and trade relations, pledging to bring bilateral trade volume to $10 billion by 2010, and to speed up the process of land border demarcation and ensure that a new border administration document will be signed by 2008.

: China’s Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and Vietnamese Defense Minister Pham Van Tra sign an agreement for joint patrols in the Beibu Gulf in Beijing.

: Vietnamese government agrees in principle to allow northern Lao Cai province to expand cooperation ties with China’s Yunnan province.

: Singapore PM Lee conducts his first visit to China since he took office last year, meets President Hu and Liaoning Party Secretary Li Keqiang, and signs a memorandum of understanding with the city of Tianjin to help Singapore-based companies expand into the Bohai Rim area.

: ASEAN General Secretary Ong Keng Yong says the governments of China and ASEAN have agreed on general topics of service trade and mutual investment in the region.

: Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo praises the development of relations between the Philippines and China as well as those between ASEAN and China.

: The second International Congress of the ASEAN and China Cooperative Operations in Response to Dangerous Drugs is convened in Beijing. Nearly 200 police officers and officials from international anti-narcotic organizations discuss strategies for combating transnational drug trafficking and vow to strengthen co-operative efforts in fighting the increasing menace of amphetamine type stimulants (ATS).

: Second China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit held in Nanning, Guangxi with meetings between Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Zeng says the work of demarcation between China and Vietnam is going smoothly and would be completed before 2008.

: Second China-ASEAN Expo is held in Nanning, Guangxi, during which 95 agreements have been signed with a total contract value of $4.79 billion, and China and ASEAN have agreed to build up a free trade area before 2010.

: Central banks of China and Indonesia sign a currency swap deal that will allow Indonesia to swap its currency for up to $2 billion of Chinese yuan when necessary.

: A reception, jointly hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the China-ASEAN Association, and China Singapore Friendship Association, is held in Beijing to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-Singapore diplomatic relations.

: Second China-ASEAN Eminent Persons Group Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur.

: Organizing committee of second China-ASEAN forum on legal affairs says China and ASEAN will promote legal development in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone.

: 2,250 enterprises register to showcase products at the 2005 China-ASEAN International Trade Fair in Nanning, Guangxi province.

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