ASEAN-China transport ministers adopt joint statement for stronger cooperation

 PHNOM PENH, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The 10th ASEAN-China transport ministers meeting concluded here on Friday, adopting a  joint ministerial statement to deepen ASEAN-China cooperation on Maritime Consultation Mechanism, Air Transport  Agreement, and Joint ASEAN-China Activities for 2012.
  The ASEAN-China transport ministers hailed the steady progress of the ASEAN-China maritime cooperation through fruitful  exchange of information under the ASEAN-China Maritime Consultation Mechanism, according to the joint ministerial  statement.
  The ministers were also pleased with the entry into force of the ASEAN-China Air Transport Agreement and its Protocol 1 as  this is a significant milestone in ASEAN-China transport cooperation.
  “Through this agreement and protocol, designated airlines of ASEAN would be allowed to provide air services from any city  with international airport in its territory to any city with international airport in the territory of China and vice versa with full third  and fourth freedom traffic rights,” it said.
  Speaking at the closing of the meeting, Tram Iv Tek, Cambodia’s minister of public works and transport, said on the maritime  front, the ASEAN-China transport ministers also encouraged their senior transport officials to further strengthen cooperation  among maritime administrations towards promoting capacity building for seafarers.
  “We also urge to expedite the ratification of the ASEAN-China Maritime Transport Agreement by all member states,” he said.
  On the air front, the ministers urged ASEAN member states to expedite the process of ratification for the ASEAN-China Air  Transport Agreement and its Protocol 1, he added.
  Tram Iv Tek, on behalf of the ASEAN member states, expressed sincere thanks to the peoples and the government of China for  their assistance and cooperation for transport development in ASEAN.
  Meanwhile, Feng Zhenglin, vice minister of China’s Transport Ministry, said this year was the 10th year of the establishment of  transport cooperation relations between China and ASEAN.
  “With strategic vision and courage, our two sides followed the trend of the times and explored ways to promote regional  cooperation over the past decade and built up a most extensive and pragmatic cooperative mechanism,” he said.
  China has supported over 50 infrastructure projects covering almost all ASEAN countries through the utilization of the 15  billion U.S. dollar credit committed by the Chinese government in 2009, he said.
  Furthermore, at the recently concluded 14th China-ASEAN Summit held in Indonesia’s Bali, China pledged to provide an  additional 10 billion U.S. dollar loans to ASEAN to promote land transport connectivity between China and the ASEAN  countries.
  He said besides the efforts in infrastructure construction, China-ASEAN has also conducted a host of other activities in  maritime safety, international shipping, and air transportation facilitation.
  “All these efforts have greatly contributed to the sustained growth of economy and social stability of this region, making it the  most dynamic region in the world with the greatest potential for development,” he said.
  The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) group Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the  Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.