China's Commerce Minister Chen Deming and the economic ministers from 10 ASEAN member states on Saturday morning signed the ASEAN-China Investment Agreement during the 41st ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM) and related meetings in Bangkok.

The signing of the investment agreement, together with already- signed China-ASEAN agreements of the trade in goods and services, completed the negotiation process of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area ( FTA), which is to be realized by January 1, 2010.

China and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launched their cooperation dialogue in 1991 and signed the China-ASEAN Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation in 2002, proposing the ASEAN-China FTA by 2010.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2009)