DFA: ASEAN, China kick off friendship year

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China marked the 20th year of their dialogue relations by kicking off the ASEAN-China Friendship and Exchange Year. Foreign ministers of ASEAN member countries and China attended the start of Friendship and Exchange Year in Kunming, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday. "It is a comprehensive program of people-to-people and cultural exchanges to take place in 2011 to mark the 20th year of their dialogue relations," the DFA said in a news release on its website. DFA Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda Basilio represented DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo in the ceremonial event and the ASEAN-China Meeting on Connectivity. The discussions covered commemorative activities, connectivity, the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement, social and cultural exchanges, non-traditional security issues, East Asian cooperation, South China Sea, and other topics. Earlier, the officials took a road trip along the highways that connect Bangkok and Kunming, one of the key projects that seek to establish infrastructure links between ASEAN and China. "Both ASEAN and China expressed satisfaction on the progress of their relations in all its aspects in the last 20 years and vowed to take further steps to enhance and their mutually-beneficial ties and strengthen cooperation to support regional and global peace and security, and economic development," the DFA said. – VVP, GMANews.TV