BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhuanet) -- The 19th China-ASEAN Senior Officials’ Consultation was held in Beijing on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the officials.

Newly appointed Foreign Minister Wang Yi received senior officials from the 10 Southeast Asian countries on Tuesday afternoon. As a senior diplomat with a strong background in Asian Affairs, Wang called the meeting one between friends.

Wang Yi, Minister of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said, "I’d like to congratulate us on the results and achievements made through our consultation. The mechanism has worked well and achieved far-reaching and all around progress."

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership. The two sides have decided to deepen and upgrade their strategic partnership, and promote their cooperation in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.

Over the past decade China-ASEAN ties have grown stronger. The two sides enjoy the largest free trade area in developing countries, and the bilateral trade volume surpassed 400 billion US dollars last year, a seven fold increase from ten years ago.

In the meantime, the foreign ministry earlier said the two sides will also promote their cooperation in maritime affairs. Recent island disputes created tensions when a Chinese vessel fired on a Vietnamese boat which was illegally fishing in the waters around Xisha Island in the South China Sea. China says the move was to warn of China’s territorial sovereignty. No damage was done. The upcoming ASEAN summit will be held later this month in Brunei, where the South China Sea is believed to be one of the topic of concerns.

(Source: cntv.com)