China embraces ASEAN for ‘Asian century’

China will support ASEAN as a driving force in a regional architecture with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao reiterating that the world’s second-largest economy was not a threat to anyone.

In a speech here Saturday, Wen said cooperation among countries in East Asia could grow well only if ASEAN was the dominant player, a statement seemingly aimed at fending off the idea of using the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as a nucleus of wider Asia-Pacific cooperation.

In an effort many say was aimed at sidelining China from the regional bloc, the US reaffirmed its commitment to enter the TPP, which includes ASEAN members Singapore and Vietnam, as a framework for broader cooperation mechanism. Some ASEAN members such as Indonesia have rejected the idea floated by US President Barack Obama just before he attended the APEC meeting in Singapore in 2009.

“The center of the cooperation mechanism in the region is the 10 countries of ASEAN. We are firm with our standpoint on that matter,” Wen told a gathering held by the Indonesian Council of World Affairs in Jakarta on Saturday.

In assuring that China supported a stable and prosperous ASEAN, Wen, who will leave Jakarta later on Saturday after a two-day visit to Indonesia, promised to help speed development of transport connections with Southeast Asia.

Wen told the audience of officials and intellectuals that China would give financial support through credit aid and investment, to provide for better exchange of commodities, capital and people.

 “China is ASEAN’s largest trade partner, and together we form the biggest free trade zone among developing countries. We have a target of growing China-ASEAN trade to US$500 billion by 2015,” he said.

 Efforts to enhance understanding between the people of China, Indonesia and other ASEAN countries must be encouraged, Wen added.

“Both Indonesia and China must increase the number of their students studying in each other countries to 100,000 by 2020 while exchange of visits should reach 15 million each year by 2015,” he said.

The premier also gave assurances that China would not attach any conditions to its aid to ASEAN countries as it believed that progress in ASEAN also helped maintain progress in China.

“Good relations and peace bring luck, while chaos and conflict bring disaster,” he said, arguing that China would not complicate its territorial disputes in the South China Sea with some ASEAN member states.

“We should solve the dispute bilaterally, and we reject using force in the issue,” he said.

Wen also gave assurances that the rapid development in China would not threaten any countries as China’s millennia-old tradition taught the importance of harmony, loyalty, peace and respect for others.

“Half a century ago, China, Indonesia and others entered the international arena as newly independent countries. Today, we witness the reemergence of Eastern civilization. Let’s hold hands for a beautiful future, embracing the coming of Asian centuries,” Wen said.

In an earlier statement welcoming Wen, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that like China, Indonesia also had an interest in maintaining peace, security and stability in Asia Pacific, and would seek to avoid an atmosphere of competition and threat of conflict that did not benefit any sides.