China, ASEAN reach consensus on ministerial meetings
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Xinhua, October 10, 2011
China and ASEAN officials on Monday agreed to a schedule for ministerial meetings and announced the first official meeting will be held in Singapore in 2012.
The China and ASEAN (10+1) Cultural Ministerial Meeting was held in southwest Chongqing municipality to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue between China and the Association of Southwest Asian Nations (ASEAN).
"The most important fruit of this meeting is that, after thorough discussions, we reached a consensus on scheduling ministerial meetings," said Chinese Minister of Culture Cai Wu.
The scheduling system will facilitate bilateral exchange and improve the competitiveness of the regional culture, Cai said.
"China and ASEAN countries should preserve their cultural identities while creating unity among diverse cultures. Ministerial meetings can help generate more common ground and showcase to the world what China and ASEAN can collectively present," said Sim Cim Guan, deputy secretary of Singapore's Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and head of the Singapore delegation.
After the meeting, China signed bilateral agreements with Laos and Cambodia to arrange mutual visits of cultural officials and performance troupes.
