A team of over 40 people set off on Monday from Nanning, capital
of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for Vietnam,
lifting the curtain of a "China-ASEAN friendship trip."
Scheduled for over three weeks, the 10,000-kilometer trip would
cover Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
Most of the team members are Chinese entrepreneurs or journalists,
who are expected to make cultural exchanges, business talks and
donations in the six ASEAN countries.
"This trip comes as a symbol of friendship between Chinese and
the ASEAN people," said Kosit Chatpaiboon, Consul-General of the
Royal Thai Consulate-General in Kunming. He hopes that it could
help boost China-ASEAN cooperation in tourism and exchange among
the common people from the two sides.
Vice Chairman of the China-ASEAN Association Shi Guangsheng
noted that the trip would help convey the amity of Chinese people
to their ASEAN counterparts. "Through concerted efforts of
governments and common people, the strategic partnership between
China and ASEAN oriented to peace and prosperity is bound to be
cemented," he said.
Shortly after the start of the China-ASEAN friendship trip, the
Commemorative Summit marking the 15th Anniversary of the Dialogue
Relations between China ASEAN opened in Nanning, a sign that
bilateral ties of China and ASEAN have moved onto a fast track.
(Xinhua News Agency October 30, 2006)