Thai DPM/FM joins CAEXPO 2014 inauguration

NANNING, CHINA, September 16 (TNA) - Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn has joined the inauguration of the 11th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO 2014) and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, held in Nanning, the capital of China's Ghuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. During Friday's inauguration of the 11th CAEXPO and the summit, organized at the Nanning International Convention & Exhibition Center, China stressed on continual cooperation with the 10-menber Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the revival of its marine connectivity with the region. Apart from the Thai deputy prime minister, other ASEAN leaders also attended the opening ceremony of the CAEXPO 2014, themed the "Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century", including Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Addressing the opening ceremony, Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli announced Beijing's determination and plan to revive the Maritime Silk Road China used to trade with Southeast Asia over 1,000 years ago to promote trade and cultural exchange in a new form between China and ASEAN and also vowed to upgrade the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to increase the value of mutual trade to 500 billion US dollars by 2015 and 1 trillion US dollars by 2020. Besides, the Chinese deputy premier said, China will adhere to peaceful development and promote cooperation, stability and peace in the South China Sea. (TNA)