China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on
Monday issued a joint statement, vowing to strengthen cooperation
in food safety, promote food trade and protect consumers' rights
and benefits.
The Nanning Joint Statement was issued at the end of the two-day
China-ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Quality Supervision,
nspection and Quarantine in the southern China city of Nanning,
where the Fourth China-ASEAN Expo and Fourth China-ASEAN Business
and Investment Summit are going on.
According to the joint statement, ministers and representatives
from China and ASEAN countries as well as the ASEAN Secretariat
have had extensive exchanges on food safety laws and regulations,
and administrative systems of China and ASEAN members, before
mutual understanding was enhanced.
Based the discussions, they reached eight points of common
understanding on strengthening China-ASEAN food safety, promoting
food trade and protecting consumers' rights.
Recognizing that food safety is of great importance to
consumers' health, trade development and social stability, and food
safety issue is the responsibility of all parties, the ministers
and representatives agreed to support and strengthen cooperation
and exchanges in the field.
They also pledged to encourage active exchanges of information
about food safety laws, regulations, standards and information in
line with the principle of transparency, in order to enhance mutual
understanding and trust.
The China-ASEAN Expo and summit, which run parallel in four days
from Sunday to Wednesday, serve as an annual gathering of political
and business leaders in China and the ten ASEAN member countries.
The ministerial conference is one of a series of nine forums and
meetings scheduled under different themes for further cooperation
between China and Southeast Asian countries.
Besides, China and the ASEAN issued another joint statement on
port development and cooperation aiming at shore up the role of
shipping and ports in China-ASEAN trade.
During the two-day meeting of transport and communication
ministers, China and ASEAN had reached consensus on the final Draft
of the ASEAN-China Maritime Transport Agreement, and agreed to
submit this document for signing at the 6th ASEAN-China Transport
Ministers' Meeting to be held in Singapore on November 2, 2007.
The two sides also showed satisfaction on the Draft of the
Strategic Plan for ASEAN-China Transport Cooperation, and have
agreed to adopt the Strategic Plan as soon as possible so as to
develop the port cooperation plan and identify the top priority
cooperation projects, the statement said.
China and ASEAN recognized the need to establish the ASEAN-China
port coordination mechanism, aiming at an effective implementation
of relevant cooperation activities.
The two sides said they will encourage and support the port
cooperation in the sub-regional groupings. The detailed cooperation
will be discussed under the future Strategic Plan for ASEAN-China
Transport Cooperation.
China and ASEAN also vowed to improve investment environment and
develop the related facilitative policies, support enterprises to
participate in the port infrastructure development, and expand
financing channels.
They will continue to support the utilization of ASEAN-China
Cooperation Fund to promote the human resources development,
personnel training and technical and information exchanges in port
construction and management, said the statement.
Themed "Enhancing Regional Cooperation, Promoting Common
Development", the ASEAN-China Port Development and Cooperation
Forum was held during the 4th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in the
southern Chinese city of Nanning on October 28 to 29.
The 10-member ASEAN comprise Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the
Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and
Myanmar.
(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2007)
