The ASEAN Secretariat and China's Guangdong Province, signed here Friday an agreement aimed at deepening and widening China's Guangdong Province and ASEAN business forum and cooperation through mechanism.

The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN Nicholas Tandi Dammen and Vice Governor of Guangdong Province Wan Qingliang at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.

Under the Memorandum, the two sides will explore and facilitate cooperation activities in various areas including agriculture, information and communication technology, trade and investment, tourism promotion, energy and environment, education and public health.

Secretary-General of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan said ASEAN attaches great importance to its relations with China and welcomes cooperation in various fields and at different levels, including furthering the friendly exchanges between the Chinese provincial governments and ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat.

"Guangdong is the southern gateway of China and links between Guangdong and ASEAN have been growing. Twenty seven percent of China's trade volume is from Guangdong," he said.

The ASEAN Secretariat had signed a similar Memorandum with China's Hubei Province on May 11, 2008. The purpose was to explore cooperation possibilities with the central and western provinces of China which can offer opportunities to expand ASEAN-China relations.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2008)