The 11th meeting between leaders of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was held in Singapore on Tuesday.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries attended the summit, during which Wen delivered a speech.

Wen said over the past year, guided by the Joint Statement issued at the Commemorative Summit Marking the 15th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, China and ASEAN countries have made new achievements in good neighborly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation.

China and ASEAN are currently moving into new times and stages of development, respectively, he added.

It is the Chinese government's unshakable foreign policy to cement and boost the China-ASEAN strategic partnership toward peace and prosperity, Wen said.

He said the Chinese side would like to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN in the following aspects in the new year:

Firstly, China will promote mutual political trust and policy coordination with ASEAN.

Secondly, China will boost economic and trade ties and raise the level of its cooperation with the bloc.

Thirdly, China would like to carry out practical cooperation with ASEAN in nontraditional security fields.

Fourthly, China will actively support the construction of the ASEAN community and its process of integration.

Fifthly, China will expand social, cultural and personnel exchanges with ASEAN.

The Chinese premier said the development of China and ASEAN is interdependent and serves as a catalyst for each other's growth.

China's economic and social development would provide greater and more development space and chances for its neighboring countries, including ASEAN members and other countries in the world, he said.

The Chinese side is willing to make joint efforts with ASEAN to push forward bilateral ties.

Leaders of ASEAN member nations highly appreciated the considerable development of the ASEAN-China dialogue relations and their respective ties with China, which have grown in a sound manner.

They all said that China sticks to the road of peaceful development, adheres to the policy of good-neighborly friendship, and is a trusted friend and close partner of ASEAN.

China's development is a huge chance for ASEAN and has provided a bright prospect for promoting bilateral cooperation, they added.

The leaders said ASEAN members hope to further strengthen political and security dialogue with China, to broaden bilateral cooperation in economy, information, infrastructure and nontraditional security fields, and to increase personnel exchanges.

In this way, the two sides can work together to boost peace, embrace challenges, seek development and enjoy prosperity, they added.

After the meeting, Wen and ASEAN leaders attended the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding on strengthening China-ASEAN health and plant health cooperation.

The Chinese premier arrived here on Sunday for an official visit to Singapore. During his stay here, he was also scheduled to attend the 11th ASEAN plus Three summit, the third East Asia summit and the eighth meeting of leaders of China, Japan and South Korea.

As a regional cooperation group founded in August 1967, ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Chronology of China-ASEAN summits

Dec. 16, 1997 -- China attended the First China-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia. At the meeting, then Chinese President Jiang Zemin delivered a speech entitled "Establish Good-neighborly Partnership of Mutual Trust Oriented to the 21st Century." After the summit, the two sides issued the Joint Declaration of the People's Republic of China and ASEAN Summit, establishing guidelines for their relationship and common policies of good-neighborly partnership of mutual trust oriented to the 21st century.

Dec. 16, 1998 -- The then Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao attended the Second China-ASIAN Summit in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam. Leaders of the two sides agreed to maintain friendly exchanges between China and ASEAN countries in various fields, at different levels and through various channels within an all-around dialogue cooperation framework. They also reached consensus on appropriately dealing with differences to boost their partnership.

Nov. 28, 1999 -- The then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji attended the Third China-ASEAN Summit in Manila, capital of the Philippines. He offered China's advice on strengthening the good-neighborly partnership of mutual trust with ASEAN in the 21st century. The ASEAN countries praised China's achievements in its development, and spoke highly of its support and assistance to them in the Asian financial crisis.

Nov. 25, 2000 -- The Fourth China-ASIAN Summit was held in Singapore. At the meeting, the then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji spoke highly of the relationship between China and ASEAN, and offered advice on cooperation between the two sides in politics, human resource development, the construction of infrastructure projects on the Mekong River, advanced technology, agriculture, trade and investment.

Nov. 6, 2001 -- The then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji attended the Fifth China-ASEAN Summit in Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei. The two sides agreed on the establishment of the China-ASEAN free trade zone over the following 10 years, and senior officials were authorized to begin negotiations on relevant agreements as soon as possible.

Nov. 4, 2002 -- At the Sixth China-ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, the then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and ASEAN leaders signed the Framework Agreement on China-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation, deciding to establish the China-ASEAN free trade zone by 2010.

Oct. 8, 2003 -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended the Seventh China-ASEAN Summit in the Indonesian resort island of Bali. During the summit, ASEAN and China agreed to establish "a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity."

Nov. 29, 2004 -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended the Eighth China-ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, capital of the Laos. At the summit, Premier Wen delivered a speech on the appraisal of China-ASEAN cooperation, China's policy toward ASEAN countries, principles for cooperation and proposals for further cooperation.

Dec. 12, 2005 -- At the Ninth China-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao put forward five initiatives to ensure more vigorous and fruitful growth of relations between China and ASEAN, including forging stronger bonds of friendship, putting in place a planned framework for relations, and vigorously promoting personnel exchanges.

Jan. 14, 2007 - At the 10th China-ASEAN Summit in Cebu in the central Philippines, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and leaders of the10 ASEAN member countries witnessed the signing of the Agreement on Trade in Services of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.