Chronologies
China - Southeast Asia
Chronology from Sep 2013 to Dec 2013
: Senior officials from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam attend the 19th Greater Mekong Subregion Ministerial Conference and agree on the Regional Investment Framework to help spur business, trade, and economic ties, increase infrastructural development, and greater regional connectivity via transportation linkages.
: Chinese and Thai Special Forces carry out a joint counterterrorism training exercise. The exercise, code named Strike 2013, is the fourth time the two armed forces have carried out such joint training aimed to increase bilateral defense and security ties.
: Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Ma Keqing comments that Beijing has the right to decide “when and where to set up the new air identification zone,” sparking regional concerns that China may set up a similar zone over the South China Sea, as it had done in the East China Sea.
: Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning accompanied by several escort ships conducts sea trials in the South China Sea.
: China’s naval hospital ship, Peace Ark, arrives in the Philippines to provide medical aid and relief to victims affected by the typhoon in the country.
: China and Myanmar’s opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), expand ties with the visit of a senior NLD delegation to Beijing, Shanghai, and Yunnan. The visit is the fourth official NLD visit to China to deepen party-to-party relations.
: Chinese and Indonesian airborne troops carry out a joint counterterrorism exercise, Sharp Knife Airborne 2013, in Bandung, Indonesia. The exercise involves around 200 paratroopers and includes live-fire exercises, air landing, hand-to-hand combat, shooting, obstacle-crossing, and search and rescue operations.
: Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein visits China and meets Defense Minister Chang Wanquan. They vow to increase military ties.
: Tenth China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation convenes in Singapore and agrees to increase cooperation in the financial sector, promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and expand bilateral trade and investment. The two sides also agree to launch direct foreign exchange trade between their currencies in the interbank market and to expand the channel for the flow of Renminbi capital between China and Singapore.
: President Xi Jinping visits Indonesia and Malaysia and takes part in the 21st APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Bali. With his Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts, Xi agrees to advance the status of both sets of bilateral relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” with emphasis on advancing trade, business, and economic relations.
: China National Petroleum Company announces the China-Myanmar gas pipeline is complete and in full operation. The pipeline will carry nearly 12 billion cubic meters of natural gas to southwest China.
: ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh visits China and meets Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
: Fan Changlong, vice chair of China’s Central Military Commission, meets senior military officials from Myanmar. They agree to ensure security and stability along the Sino-Myanmar border.
: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits Brunei to attend the 16th China-ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, and the 8th East Asia Summit. He also visits to Thailand and Vietnam.
: China and Vietnam agree to conduct joint research on marine life near the Gulf of Tonkin. The agreement is part of the outcome of the fourth round of bilateral negotiations on maritime cooperation in the South China Sea.
: Lao President Choummaly Sayasone visits China and meets President Xi Jinping. They agree to expand bilateral trade, infrastructure development, educational and cultural exchanges, and defense cooperation.
: China and ASEAN hold Sixth Senior Officials Meeting on Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and discuss establishment of a formal code of conduct.
: Philippines accuses China of constructing concrete structures within its territory in the Scarborough Shoal (Philippines: Panatag Shoal; Chinese: Huangyan Island).
: Tenth China-ASEAN Expo convenes in Nanning, China. The annual event features exhibitions from companies in the region to promote business, trade, and economic activities between China and ASEAN member states.