Hanoi (VNA) - China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) will each contribute 900,000 USD to the ASEAN+3 Cooperation Fund, according to news reported on July 23.
The 3-million-USD cooperation fund, which also includes ASEAN’s input of 300,000 USD, was launched on July 22 at the ninth meeting of the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and China, Japan and the RoK, which was chaired by Minister Yeo in Singapore.
The fund will provide the needed resources to implement more projects envisaged under the Second Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation and the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Work Plan, Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo was quoted as saying.
At the meeting, ministers reaffirmed that the ASEAN Plus Three process would continue to be the main vehicle towards the long-term goal of building an East Asian community, with ASEAN as the driving force.
The ASEAN+3 ministers discussed the Korean Penninsula nuclear issue and emphasised the importance of the early establishment of an effective verification mechanism.
They also discussed the growing challenges of rising oil and food prices, as well as climate change and called for greater information sharing and collaboration among member countries.
Also on the agenda was priorities for the future direction of the ASEAN Plus Three cooperation, including continued support for ASEAN's efforts to realise the ASEAN Community.-Enditem
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