China to use economic ties with ASEAN to boost interests

China to use economic ties with ASEAN to boost interests

Peter Enav, Associated Press, Beijing

China will use an upcoming economic gathering with Southeast
Asian countries to promote its political interests there, a
senior Chinese official said on Thursday, underscoring Beijing's
desire to counter American influence in the region.

An upcoming China-ASEAN trade event in the southern Chinese
city of Nanning is more than just a commercial forum, said Fu
Ziying, a vice minister of commerce.

"The China-ASEAN Expo is not only a platform for trade and
economic cooperation, but also an important venue where the 11
countries have exchanges in areas of politics," he said. "(It is)
a stage for diplomacy."

China signed a free trade agreement with the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations two years ago, prompting annual trade
gains of close to 40 percent. In 2004 trade between China and the
bloc totaled US$106 billion. During a regional tour in April,
President Hu Jintao predicted that volume would double by 2010.

"Bilateral relations (with ASEAN) have entered into a new
phase of rapid and comprehensive development," Fu told reporters.
"There has been deepened political trust, strengthened trade
ties, deepened security dialogue, and expanded areas of
cooperation."

China has also been cultivating diplomatic and military ties
with ASEAN, whose members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Apart from its desire to balance U.S. influence, Beijing wants
to protect vital sea lanes and increase supplies of raw materials
from Southeast Asia to feed the booming Chinese economy. Linking
up with ASEAN also helps Beijing further isolate Taiwan, the
self-ruled island that China claims as its own.

On Thursday, Xu Caihou, a vice chairman of the Communist
Party's powerful Central Military Commission, met with visiting
Adm. Sampop Amrapala, commander in chief of the Thai navy, the
official Xinhua News Agency reported.

"China and Thailand are one family," Xinhua quoted Xu as
saying.

Xu noted that Thailand had supported China's stance on issues
dear to Beijing, such as its rule over Tibet, its claim to the
independently ruled island of Taiwan and human rights.

Both sides expressed a desire for even closer ties, the report
said.