China seeks closer dialog with ASEAN<\/p>\n
BEIJING (Agencies): China wants greater dialog with ASEAN
\nnations, Foreign Minister Qian Qichen told his Indonesian
\ncounterpart Ali Alatas, while dismissing concerns over China's
\nnuclear testing program.<\/p>\n
During a meeting here late Wednesday, Qian said China attached
\ngreat importance to its relations with the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), citing the grouping's role in
\npromoting regional peace and stability.<\/p>\n
Alatas, who arrived Wednesday for a three-day official visit,
\nsaid Indonesia would continue to help coordinate and cement Sino-
\nASEAN relations.<\/p>\n
ASEAN groups Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
\nThailand and Brunei and will add Vietnam later this month.<\/p>\n
The foreign ministers' two-hour talks also touched on
\nJakarta's concerns over China's nuclear testing program, but Qian
\nstressed that Beijing had shown \"great restraint\" -- carrying out
\nfar fewer tests that the other declared nuclear powers had done
\nin the past.<\/p>\n
Alatas was scheduled to hold talks with premier Li Peng
\nyesterday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Canberra, Britain wanted to be included as a
\ndialog partner in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia and the
\nPacific's main vehicle for security talks, Britain's high
\ncommissioner in Australia said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"Britain ought to be an ARF dialog partner,\" High Commissioner
\nRoger Carrick told reporters in Canberra.<\/p>\n
He said the British government had pushed for inclusion at an
\ninformal level with some of the region's governments.<\/p>\n
\"There is some support for it around,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The 18-member forum met for the first time in Bangkok in July
\nlast year.<\/p>\n
The forum includes the ASEAN six, United States, Japan, South
\nKorea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, Canada, Papua New
\nGuinea, Laos, Vietnam and the European Union.<\/p>\n
The ARF holds its second major meeting to be attended by
\nforeign ministers and defense ministers in Brunei from July 31 to
\nAug. 3.<\/p>\n
Carrick said Britain's historical role in the region and its
\nability to help analyze the region's security problems meant it
\nshould be involved in the ARF.<\/p>\n
Britain is still a member of the Five Powers Defense
\nArrangement (FPDA), along with Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and
\nNew Zealand. \"But it's much more than the FPDA,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"There is our historical role and the contribution that we can
\nmake in the analysis of the sort of security problems I
\nmentioned,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He was referring in particular to the dispute among China,
\nIndonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and others over the
\npotentially oil-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n
Carrick said he hoped the United States, Australia and others
\nin the region supported Britain's push for dialog partner status,
\nthough there was not much support for Britain's push in
\nAustralia.<\/p>\n
\"We would hope for Australia's, the United States' and
\neverybody else's support,\" he said.<\/p>",
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