China, ASEAN launch science partner plan

NANNING -- China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have launched a plan that will see them cooperate in fields of science and technology.

More than 300 entrepreneurs and scholars from China and ASEAN countries attended a launch ceremony on Saturday in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on the sidelines of the ninth China-ASEAN Expo.

"Science and technology are major powers for economic growth, and scientific cooperation has played a great role in solving some important problems," Suyoi Haji Osman, Brunei's minister of development, said.

Under the plan, key areas of cooperation include national science development strategy, major science programs' planning and management, agriculture, disaster prevention, information technology and space technology.

The two sides also initiated their first cooperative program under the partner plan, a satellite data platform based on China's satellite data resources which will be shared with the ASEAN countries.

The platform is expected to contribute to agricultural yield estimation, environmental supervision and disaster prevention and control.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao proposed the China-ASEAN science and technology partnership at the 14th China-ASEAN summit held on Indonesia's Bali Island in November, 2011.