Your Excellency Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to attend the 11th ASEAN Plus Three Summit in the beautiful country of Singapore. Please allow me to express my heartfelt thanks to our host, the Government and people of Singapore for your gracious hospitality.

The year 2007 marks the 10th anniversary of 10+3 cooperation and a milestone in the process of East Asia cooperation.

10+3 cooperation which started 10 years ago when Asia was still in the grip of the financial crisis inaugurated the process of working together for common development.

Over the past decade, guided by the first Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation, 10+3 cooperation has grown steadily, demonstrating strong vitality. 10+3 countries have established bilateral good-neighborly partnerships, maintained close contacts and enhanced mutual understanding and trust. Within the framework of 10+3 cooperation, over 50 dialogue mechanisms have been put in place and about 100 cooperation projects have been carried out in 20 fields, and all these have enhanced interdependence among countries in East Asia and promoted prosperity in this region. 10+3 cooperation has carried forward the valuable Asian cultural heritage and traditions by advocating mutual respect, inclusiveness and openness and encouraging dialogue and exchanges among different civilizations. Fostering a model of cooperation of equal participation, gradualism, seeking common ground while putting aside differences, building consensus and achieving common development, 10+3 has set a good example of promoting cooperation in Asia under new historical circumstances.

In the past decade, thanks to the concerted efforts of all countries in the region, East Asia has overcome the adverse impact of the Asian financial crisis and become the most dynamic region in the world with the fastest growing economy and the annual GDP growth of its emerging economies has exceeded 9%. In 2005, the East Asian economy and trade respectively accounted for 40% and 20% of the world's total. Substantive steps have been taken in financial cooperation under the Chiang Mai Initiative. Various bilateral and multilateral free trade area arrangements have been made, and sub-regional cooperation such as the Mekong Basin Development is growing. Cooperation in social, cultural and non-traditional security areas is advancing steadily. The living standards of East Asian peoples have been raised. The poor population in East Asia is 300 million less than ten years ago and remarkable progress has been made in poverty reduction.

In short, thanks to our concerted efforts made in the past decade, East Asia has increased its overall competitiveness, strengthened its cohesion, improved its conditions and raised its international status. East Asia now holds bright prospect of development.

A decade later, 10+3 cooperation has entered a new stage. We are now in a world of accelerating economic globalization, rapid progress in science and technology and increasingly fierce international competition. This presents 10+3 cooperation with both new opportunities and new challenges. We have the shared responsibility to continue to forge ahead, keep pace with the times and maintain the strong momentum of 10+3 cooperation so that it will play an important role in promoting prosperity and stability in East Asia.

We are glad to note that the second Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation and the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Work Plan 2007-2017 to be adopted at this summit have set the goal of ensuring peace, stability and prosperity for East Asia. They reaffirm the purposes and spirit of the UN Charter and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, put forward the task of carrying out comprehensive cooperation in political, security, economic and financial, energy and sustainable development, social and cultural fields and stress the importance of ASEAN remaining at the driver's seat and 10+3 serving as the main vehicle for regional cooperation. These two documents have thus charted the course for future development of 10+3 cooperation.

Mr. Chairman,

To fully release the potential of East Asia cooperation, maintain dynamic growth of East Asia and increase vitality in East Asian development is a major task of 10+3 cooperation. A lot of good experience has been gained in 10+3 cooperation in this area. We should draw on the past experience and build on it. At this summit, leaders of East Asian countries have made good proposals on strengthening and deepening 10+3 cooperation. I also wish to state the following position and views:

First, we should respect each other and treat each other as equals to ensure that all countries live in harmony. A set of values and code of conduct that cherish honesty, credibility and peace has evolved in the long history of East Asian countries. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence initiated in Asia and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia embody the essence of the Asian culture. Profound changes are taking place in the world today, and the 10+3 countries should respect each other's independence and sovereignty and each other's choice of social systems and development models. We should view the development of our neighbors as an opportunity of development rather than a threat, strengthen good neighborliness and mutual trust and promote state-to-state relations based on equality.

Second, we should uphold our common interests and promote common development and prosperity. This is what East Asia cooperation is all about, and it is an important basis for ensuring harmony in Asia. While great achievements have been made in the development of East Asia, several hundred million people are still living in poverty in Asia, and the per capita income of the least developed Asian country is less than one percent of the richest one in the region. In pursuing 10+3 cooperation, we should continue to promote sustained and steady economic growth of all countries and narrow gaps in development. We should advance the building of free trade area in the region and cooperation in finance and banking, conduct in-depth study on East Asia (10+3) Free Trade Area (EAFTA), accelerate the multilateralization of the Chiang Mai Initiative, and work for the early establishment of the 10+3 Regional Foreign Exchange Reserve Pool. We should also increase exchanges and cooperation in science and technology, change models of development and enhance competitiveness of countries in the region. To this end, China proposes to host the 10+3 Seminar on Life Sciences next year to encourage countries in East Asia to carry out studies in life sciences and share the progress of cooperation. China will also hold an ICT training program for 10+3 countries next year to promote further development in this field in East Asia countries.

Third, we should take a coordinated approach and achieve comprehensive and balanced economic and social development in East Asia. While expanding and deepening cooperation in priority areas such as economy and trade, it is also necessary for us to increase political and security consultations, expand social and cultural exchanges, enhance cooperation in energy, environmental protection and tackling climate change and promote sustainable development of East Asia. To this end, China will work with other countries to carry out the cooperation projects listed in the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Work Plan 2007-2017. To consolidate and deepen 10+3 cooperation, the Chinese Government will provide an additional US$15 million to the Special Fund for Asia Regional Cooperation. The Chinese Government supports the establishment of the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Fund. It will continue to host the 10+3 Workshop on the Participation of International Disaster Relief by Armed Forces, and we propose that the 10+3 Armed Forces Forum on Non-Traditional Security Cooperation be set up to strengthen the capabilities of 10+3 countries to deal with non-traditional security threats and enhance their cooperation in this field. China will host the 10+3 International Law Enforcement Training Institute Seminar next year to support law enforcement capacity building in East Asian countries. China will also host the 2nd 10+3 Seminar on Media Cooperation to facilitate media exchanges and cooperation in our region.

Fourth, we should respect the realities in East Asia and explore and develop models and ways of cooperation that are compatible with the diversity of the region. Countries in East Asia have different national conditions and are in different stages of development. This makes it all the more important for us to respect diversity and accommodate each other's concerns in conducting East Asia cooperation. The cooperation mechanisms in our region such as 10+3, 10+1, EAS and ARF have grown in a diversified Asia. They are developing in their own ways and have different focuses. But they have one thing in common. That is, they all respect diversity, take a gradual approach, work for common ground on the basis of shelving differences, ensure vitality while preserving diversity and strive to maximize common interests.

Fifth, we should be open and inclusive so as to achieve the long-term goal of an East Asian community by drawing on our respective strengths. 10+3 cooperation has a sound framework and a solid foundation. It covers a wide range of areas, is based on broad consensus and has yielded much progress. 10+3 should therefore be the main vehicle of cooperation in East Asia. China has always held that 10+3 cooperation should be open, non-protectionist and non-exclusive. Mutual respect, inclusiveness and complementarity between 10+3 cooperation and other cooperation mechanisms in the region should be encouraged so that these mechanisms will reinforce one another. At the same time, the respective roles of these regional cooperation mechanism should be more clearly defined to ensure good progress in cooperation in East Asia.

Mr. Chairman,

As a member of East Asia, China pursues the following goal in its relations with other countries in the region, namely, harmony in the political area, equality and mutual benefit in the economic area, mutual enrichment in the cultural area and mutual trust and coordination in the area of security. With this goal in mind, China has in the past decade been committed to building friendship and partnership with its neighbors and actively participated in regional cooperation, including 10+3 cooperation. China strives to develop itself through further opening up and contribute to the development of East Asia and the world through its own development.

East Asia cooperation has entered a new stage, and we have every confidence in its future. Yes, there are challenges on the road ahead. But let's work together to enhance cooperation, and we can surely build a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous Asia.

Thank you!