Cooperation in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) has a broad prospect, a senior Chinese official said in
Pinang, Malaysia on Thursday.
China and ASEAN embrace a total population of 1.8 billion, which
generates the ever-increasing market demand stimulated by the rapid
growth of economy, said Wang Xudong, Minister of Information of
China.
China and ASEAN each have their own strengths in developing ICT
and the strengths are highly complementary to each other, Wang told
a forum of ASEAN-China ministerial dialogue with business held here
in conjunction with the Second China-ASEAN ICT Week.
This lays a solid foundation for mutual-benefit cooperation and
unfolds a broad prospect for the cooperation ahead, Wang said.
The Chinese government has all along attached priority to the
ICT cooperation of mutual benefits with ASEAN and it will continue
to enhance the dialogue and exchanges among the administrations,
while actively involving all the related sectors like businesses,
trade associations, academic and research institutes to further
enhance the partnership between the two sides, he said.
The Chinese minister also raised some proposals to strengthen
China-ASEAN cooperation further, including creating a better trade
and investment environment for bilateral cooperation, actively
promoting the mutual recognition of the IT products, jointly
developing and promoting the applicable technologies for the
communications in rural and remote areas, and actively promote the
cooperation in human resource development.
He believed that the joint efforts by the two sides would bring
more dynamics for "ASEAN-China partnership for common development
in the ICT sector" and contribute more to the common prosperity of
ICT industry in both ASEAN and China.
(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2006)
