China to push ahead free trade zone

China to push ahead free trade zone

Robert J. Saiget, Agence-France Presse, Beijing

China is eager to push forward a free trade zone with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at next week's ASEAN summit, as well as discussing a similar deal with Japan and South Korea, officials said Monday.

Premier Zhu Rongji will lead the Chinese delegation to the November 4-5 event in Cambodia and has a busy schedule in Phnom Penh, foreign ministry officials said.

This includes talks with the 10 ASEAN leaders, the "10 plus three" grouping of ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea as well as an informal summit between the three latter nations.

During the ASEAN-China gathering, Zhu hopes to sign a framework agreement on economic cooperation that will form the basis of the future China-ASEAN free trade zone, said Fu Ying, director of the foreign ministry's Asian department.

"He will formally announce the launching of the process of the China-ASEAN free trade zone which is a part of the comprehensive economic framework agreement," she told reporters.

"Most of the content has been agreed upon so it should be signed by the leaders."

Zhu would also give a "positive assessment" to a proposal for an East Asian free trade agreement covering ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea, she said.

Similar discussions for a three-way free trade agreement would be held in the informal meeting with the Japanese and South Korean delegations.

Fu said the issue of North Korea's recently-announced nuclear program was not on the agenda of the three-way meeting, but "it would not be surprising" if the trio discussed the issue.

During the gathering, China was also willing to sign with ASEAN a declaration over a code of conduct for the long fought- over Spratly Islands archipelago, Fu said, assuming other ASEAN nations could agree with its wording.

"The content of the declaration is about the political will to seek a peaceful settlement of the issue," Fu said.

"It could be signed if we can get cleared up some of the differences among ASEAN countries over the scope (of the declaration)," she said.

China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan claim parts or all of the Spratlys, in the South China Sea, with all except Brunei stationing troops in the resource-rich and potentially explosive isles.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Before the ASEAN summit, Zhu will make a formal visit to Cambodia on Nov. 1-2, where he will discuss Chinese aid for a Cambodian highway with Prime Minister Hun Sen and meet with Cambodian King Sihanouk.

The visit to Cambodia will be the first by a Chinese premier in 42 years, but follows a 2000 trip by President Jiang Zemin.

Zhu will also attend on November 3 the first-ever summit on the development of the Mekong River region with leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, foreign ministry official Wang Xiaolong said.

The meeting is expected to issue a joint declaration, a project list for the Mekong area and a funding plan for the its development, Wang said, with much of the money being arranged by the Asian Development Bank.

The Chinese premier will not stay for the full ASEAN summit but will return to Beijing on November 4 to join preparations for the Communist Party Congress beginning four days later, Fu said.

This meeting is expected to usher in a new generation of Chinese leaders.