Photo: baocongthuong

China and ten ASEAN member countries launched a cooperation plan in science and technology on September 22 in Nanning, the capital of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on the sidelines of the ninth China-ASEAN Expo.

Under the plan, key areas of cooperation include national science development strategy, planning and management of major science programs, agriculture, disaster prevention, information technology and space technology.

The two sides also initiated their first cooperation programme under the plan, in which a satellite data platform based on China's satellite data resources will be shared with ASEAN countries.

This was hoped to help forecast farm output, monitor the environment and control natural disasters at benefiting countries.

At the 14th China-ASEAN summit held on Indonesia's Bali Island in November, 2011, the China-ASEAN science and technology partnership was proposed by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

The same day, at the CAEXPO, Pan Gongsheng, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, called for deepening financial cooperation between China and ASEAN member countries.

China and ASEAN members should enhance financial policy coordination and step up cooperation in areas such as financial market stability and anti-money laundering, he said.

Pan urged concerted efforts to be made from both sides to intensify the monitoring of cross-border capital flows and draw out a cooperation mechanism on inter-bank local currency clearing.

Also at the expo, Chinese Deputy Minister of Industry and Information and Technology Su Bo said that China and ASEAN see a great potential for cooperation in the industrial sector.

He said the two sides should take pragmatic measures to develop advanced manufacturing industry, adding that cooperation in building industrial zones is an important way to boost the development of advanced manufacturing.

Since the China-ASEAN free trade area was established in January, 2010, two-way trade between China and the group spiraled markedly, to hit 362.8 billion USD in 2011 from 54.8 billion USD in 2002.

Source: VNA