China willing to deepen cooperation with ASEAN: FM

BEIJING — China is willing to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to pursue greater mutual benefit and intensify cooperation on connectivity and production capacity, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday.

"We will make sure our peoples benefit from the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area as soon as possible and wrap up the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiation at an early date," Wang told a press conference on the sidelines of the national legislature's annual session.

Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN's founding, Wang said China will support the Philippines in fulfilling its responsibilities as the ASEAN rotating chair and help ASEAN build its community.

China will join hands with ASEAN to ensure the China-ASEAN tourism cooperation year a success, and strive to reach the target of 30 million mutual travels of their people by 2020, the foreign minister said.

Launched in November 2012, the RCEP talks involve 10 members of the ASEAN and its six major trading partners - China, Japan, South Korea, India, New Zealand and Australia - with an aim of facilitating expansion of regional trade and investment.