ID :
146696
Tue, 10/19/2010 - 20:43
Auther :

Free trade agreement boosts China-ASEAN trade+



NANNING, China, Oct. 19 Kyodo -
A free trade agreement between China and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations has helped boost bilateral trade since taking effect in January, a top
Chinese official said Tuesday.
Bilateral trade from January to September reached $211.3 billion, marking a 44
percent increase on the year, Jia Qinglin, standing committee member of China's
Politburo, said at the opening ceremony of the annual China-ASEAN Expo in
Nanning.
''The Expo is an effective platform of communication and cooperation between
China and the ASEAN countries,'' Jia said.
''All parties should expand cooperation in economic matters and trade, in
different sectors and boost development in the Mekong River region through the
Free Trade Agreement,'' he added.
Jia said a strengthened ''strategic partnership between China and ASEAN
contributes to our mutual benefits, (that) it is also our joint duties and
communal choices.''
Jia Guoyong, deputy director general of the Trade Development Bureau of the
Chinese Commerce Ministry, earlier told reporters Chinese imports from ASEAN
countries and exports to those countries rose 54 percent to $97.3 billion and
40 percent to $88 billion, respectively, from January to August.
The ASEAN countries have become China's third largest import market and fourth
largest export market, he added.
Bilateral trade between China and the 10 ASEAN members grew from $100 billion
in 2004, when the first China-ASEAN Expo was held, to $213 billion last year.
Under the free trade pact, which is the world's largest by population size,
China and the six ASEAN founding members eliminated tariffs on about 90 percent
of products. The four newer members will gradually lower tariffs to zero in
2015.
Promoting trade in services under the agreement is the focus for the 7th
China-ASEAN Expo, in addition to four trade areas -- commodity, investment
cooperation, advanced technology and tourism -- that were already in progress.
The first six ASEAN members are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand. Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar joined later.
==Kyodo
2010-10-19 20:36:20


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