Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (4th R) and his delegation meet with Prime Minister General Soe Win (3rd L) and his delegation during a bilateral meeting following the ASEAN summit in Nanning on October 31.

FOREIGN Minister U Nyan Win said last week that he was pleased with the outcome of the summit between the leaders of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held in Nanning, China, on October 30.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Myanmar Times in Nanning on October 31, U Nyan Win said closer ties between China and ASEAN would provide additional momentum to efforts to increase political and economic ties between Myanmar and China.

“The increased ties between China and ASEAN are a positive development and will have tremendous impact for further strengthening of the bonds between Myanmar and China,” he said.

Myanmar was represented at the summit, which celebrated 15 years of dialogue between China and ASEAN, by the Prime Minister General Soe Win, who led a 40-member delegation to Nanning.

U Nyan Win said General Soe Win’s comments at the summit focused on the need for China to increase its economic assistance and investment in the ASEAN region, and on boosting cooperation between Beijing and the association in the fight against drugs and human trafficking.

U Nyan Win added that discussions did not touch on the domestic affairs of any ASEAN members.

General Soe Win’s itinerary included a separate meeting with Chinese Premier Mr Wen Jiabao on October 31, which included discussions about bilateral cooperation in various sectors.

“They discussed promoting cooperation in curbing drugs and human trafficking and on increasing investment from China in Myanmar’s manufacturing sector,” U Nyan Win said. He said the meeting also touched on increasing political coopera-tion between the two countries.

China has been a strong supporter of Myanmar in encouraging the democratic transition process and promoting economic develop-ment. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China voted against a move by United States in September to put Myanmar on the council’s formal agenda. Despite Beijing’s opposition, the motion was approved.

Meanwhile, the state-owned National Development Bank of China and Myanmar’s Foreign Economic Cooperation Bank signed an agreement on October 31 that will pave the way for the provision of loans to Myanmar and for increasing cooperation between the two banks, U Nyan Win said.

General Soe Win also met with Thailand’s Prime Minister Mr Surayud Chulanont on the same day.

U Nyan Win said Mr Surayud was expected to visit Myanmar next month as part of a regional tour following his appointment to the post of prime minister on October 1 after a military coup in September.

Mr Surayud visited ASEAN members Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam last month.

On October 31, General Soe Win also joined other ASEAN leaders at the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning. In a speech at the summit, General Soe Win highlighted the importance of establishing an ASEAN-China free trade area by 2010 and increasing investment in the agricultural sector of ASEAN countries.

General Soe Win also visited the towns of Guilin in Guangxi province and Wuhan in Hubai province before returning to Yangon on November 3.