Chronologies
China - Southeast Asia
Chronology from Sep 2016 to Dec 2016
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives in Siem Reap, Cambodia to attend the second Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Established in 2015, the LMC initiative promotes sub-regional economic development along the Mekong River for six countries, including Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
: Premier Li Keqiang attends fifth China-Thailand Joint Committee on Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation Meeting in Beijing. Li and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan sign a memorandum of understanding pledging to begin construction on the China-Thailand railway.
: China and ASEAN launch a cross-border e-commerce platform. The new initiative provides services in the areas of logistics, financial transactions, and customs permits for small and medium enterprises to deepen business and trade ties.
: Nearly 400 troops from the PLA Southern Theater Command and the Cambodian armed forces carry out a joint exercise focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
: Hong Kong officials, citing the lack of “approval notice” for military vehicles, seize nine Singapore Armed Forces armored vehicles in transit and bound for Singapore after a military exercise in Taiwan.
: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets visiting Laotian counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith in Beijing. They discuss bilateral trade and economic relations, including infrastructure development and economic zones.
: China and Malaysia conduct joint military drill Aman Yoyi (Peace Friendship 2016) in Malaysia. It involves more than 400 Malaysian military personnel and nearly 200 PLA soldiers focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
: People’s Liberation Army (PLA) put its armed forces on high alert following armed attacks on Myanmar’s military and police posts close to the China-Myanmar border towns of Muse and Kutkai.
: China and Vietnam carry out their second joint coast guard exercise in the Gulf of Tonkin, focusing on personnel exchanges, law enforcement cooperation, and search and rescue exercises.
: President Xi Jinping meets Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Beijing. They agree that bilateral ties are at their “highest level,” indicating their joint cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture, law enforcement, economics, and defense.
: China and Vietnam hold the fourth meeting of the Cooperation Committee on China-Vietnam Land Border Gate Management in Hanoi. The two sides review border and immigration checkpoint policies and discuss the prospects for furthering bilateral border security, stability, trade and economic development.
: President Xi Jinping and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte meet in Beijing. The joint statement includes several memoranda of understanding.
: President Xi Jinping embarks on a five-day visit across Southeast and South Asia, with state visits to Cambodia, Bangladesh, and India for a BRICS summit. Chinese commentaries indicate that Xi’s reaching out to small and emerging economies reflects a “new type of international relations” and a “community of common destiny.”
: President Xi Jinping sends a message of condolences to Thailand over the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
: Indonesia conducts its largest-ever military exercise near the Natuna Islands, involving more than 2,000 Air Force personnel and 70 fighter jets and helicopters. President Joko Widodo observes the drill.
: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets visiting Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Beijing. The two leaders stress the importance of deepening exchanges and ties between party and government officials to strengthen political trust.
: China and Laos hold their first joint police exercise in China’s Yunnan Province. Following the exercise, the two sides sign a memorandum pledging to deepen police cooperation between the two countries to crack down on cross-border crimes.
: Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli meets Southeast Asian leaders and attends the 13th ASEAN-China Expo and the Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China.
: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends the 19th ASEAN-China Leaders Meeting and a commemorative summit marking the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue in Vientiane, Laos. Li puts forward a five-point proposal for deepening economic, security, and cultural ties and exchanges.