李总理:中国东盟有能力创造“钻石十年”

The "Golden decade" is what Chinese Premiere Li Keqiang has said of the past ten years of cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.

He says bilateral trade volume has increased fivefold and the scale of cross-investment expanding threefold.

Li Keqiang also believes that both sides have the ability to build a "Diamond decade."

"We shall carry on what we've been doing and look into the future. This is a new historical starting point, to seek new strategic breakthrough. Based on enhancing mutual political trust, and with open and inclusive attitude, we will seek more pragmatic cooperation and let our strategic partnership to grow further. Since we have the ability to create the 'golden decades', we can also see a 'Diamond Decade.'"

He made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the tenth China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning.

Myanmar president U Thein Sein says China has become the biggest trading partner of ASEAN countries.

"In the past decade, ASEAN and China has developed the original friendly partnership of mutual trust into a strategic partnership, which we all cherish and are dedicated to enhance. Now, China is the biggest trading partner of ASEAN, and ASEAN is the third largest of it to China. We would like to see more economic cooperation of both sides."

Thein Sein is among visiting leaders from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Cambodia.

Although economic cooperation is the main talking point, Li Keqiang has also touched upon the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

He believes the dispute could be solved through negotiation.

"The Chinese government is a responsible government, it is ready to seek solutions through friendship and friendly consultation. We believe that the disputes in the South China Sea are not issues between China and ASEAN and should not affect the broader interests of China and ASEAN relations."

More than 23-hundred companies attending the China-ASEAN Expo.

The Expo, along with a China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit is running until Friday.

For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.