A Vietnamese delegation led by Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Doan Duy Khuong took part in the third China-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) forum, which opened in Beijing on December 8.

Themed “East Asia cooperation for prosperity”, the forum, which drew the participation of over 200 delegates from ASEAN nations, China , the Republic of Korea and Japan , focused on trade and investment cooperation in the East Asian region as well as proposing measures to expand cooperative channels.

The delegates also approved a Joint Statement on the third CABC forum to further strengthen mechanism building and boost regional cooperation.

According to the VCCI Vice President, ASEAN was now one of the most dynamic and effective economic regions in the world, so it should strengthen integration and expand cooperation.

ASEAN is actively negotiating with concerned parties on the establishment of several Free Trade Area (FTA) agreements with northeastern Asian countries, plus India, Australia and New Zealand, Doan Duy Khuong said.

Therefore, this forum was very important for expanding trade and investment cooperation and economic development in the region, he said.

The ASEAN-China FTA, which took effect on January 1, 2010, has made important contributions to boosting the regional economic and trade cooperation.

Two-way trade between ASEAN and China reached over 211 billion USD in the first nine months of this year, up 43.7 percent over the same period last year./.