Premier Wen and Surin in their meeting here over the weekend traced the excellent relationship which both sides had enjoyed over the past 20 years.
Urging both sides to strengthen their existing channels to consolidate bilateral co-operation, Wen had expressed the hope that important breakthroughs can be achieved on pragmatic issues.
And one area which both sides can address, is the wild swing in food prices, and what the East Asia Rice Emergency Reserve could achieve. Both leaders agree that the focus of all these are the citizens of ASEAN and East Asia.
"ASEAN`s economic integration, Free Trade Agreements, intra-connectivity, are some examples where substantive co-operation benefits the people of all East Asia," said the Premier.
Thanking the Chinese leader for arranging the meeting despite his tight schedule, Dr Surin noted that Wen`s remarks that "the fate of a nation, rests on the hearts of its people," sat squarely with ASEAN`s objective of focusing its activities on the people.
"ASEAN and China should focus on pragmatic issues which affects the people, such as energy and food security, development of human resources, as well as sharing the achievements in science and technology," said Dr Surin, who also discussed issues like the South China Sea, and the Expanded East Asia Summit this November, which will see the United States and Russia formally joining the group.
Looking ahead, both leaders are optimistic that bilateral ties will move ahead. ASEAN and China marks two decades of bilateral ties this year. A series of activities have been planned by both sides, to celebrate this important occasion. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
