Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his entourage attended an ASEAN-China summit to mark 15 years of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations in Nanning, China on October 30.

Speaking at the summit, the PM Nguyen Tan Dung highlighted the positive and dynamic development of ASEAN-China dialogue relations during the past 15 years and affirmed that  Vietnam’s relations with China and ASEAN are developing finely.

Vietnam will constantly consolidate and develop the relations of friendship and comprehensive cooperation with China under the motto set by the two countries’ leaders while tightening its relations with ASEAN with a view to bringing ASEAN-China relations to a new height, Mr Dung said

On this occasion, leaders from the ten ASEAN member countries and China signed a joint declaration on promoting the ASEAN-China strategic partnership under which ASEAN and China are committed to boosting closer cooperation in agriculture, information and technology, transport, energy, culture and tourism for the sake of peace, development and prosperity in the region.

ASEAN leaders pledged to promote cooperation and share information with China about issues related to non-traditional security, law enforcement,  anti-corruption and natural disaster control.

ASEAN and Chinese leaders affirmed their determination to establish an ASEAN-China Free Trade Area by 2010 and implement commodity trade liberalization with the six old ASEAN members and China by 2010 and with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam by 2015.

They also agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in culture, social affairs and finance and move towards establishing a totally free aviation service mechanism between ASEAN and China.

PM Dung together with ASEAN and Chinese leaders will attend an ASEAN-China Export exhibition and the third ASEAN-China conference on business and investment on October 31. He is also scheduled to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart  Wen Jiabao and visit Guangxi province the same day.