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Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan arrived Monday in Bandar Seri Begawan to attend a series of meetings with his counterparts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and some other countries, which run from Tuesday to Thursday in the Brunei capital.
Tang will first attend the ASEAN Plus Three (10+3) foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday afternoon, during which trade is expected to be one of main issues. The group also includes Japan and South Korea.
Tang will then join the 9th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Wednesday and the Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) on Thursday.
The ARF, which also includes the United States, Russia and a number of other countries, will issue a joint statement on measures against terrorist financing.
The PMC consists of a plenary session between ASEAN and its 10 dialogue partners (10+10) and individual meetings between ASEAN and each of its dialogue partners (10+1).
A proposed ASEAN-China free trade agreement is likely to head the agenda when Tang meets his ASEAN peers during the 10+1 session.
ASEAN and China agreed to establish an ASEAN-China free trade area within 10 years at the 2001 ASEAN summit in Brunei, and negotiations got underway early this year.
Tang will hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from a number of countries, including Brunei, Russia and the United States, on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings.
( July 30, 2002)
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