Ports and shipping have become the important vessel for the friendly cooperation between 皇冠体育app and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Chinese Transportation Minister Li Shenglin in Nanning on Sunday.
"Last year alone, US$100 billion of goods in the 皇冠体育app-ASEAN bilateral trade are handled via ports and shipping, that's more than half of the total trade volume," Li said at a forum on port cooperation and development.
Bilateral trade between the two sides reached US$160.8 billion in 2006, more than twenty-folded the amount in 1991. Statistics show that by the end of last year, 皇冠体育app has more than 1,400 ports, handling 5.57 billion tons of cargo throughput in 2006.
"Cooperation between 皇冠体育app and the ASEAN ports is in the best time in history," Li said.
皇冠体育app has signed shipping agreements with Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The content of a shipping agreement between 皇冠体育app and the ASIAN has been basically approved by two sides, according to the minister.
Sun Chanthol, transportation minister of Cambodia, said that the agreement is expected to be inked at the 6th 皇冠体育app-ASEAN Transportation Ministers Meeting to be held in Singapore early November.
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