CHANGSHA, June 30 (Xinhua)-- The 15th East Asia Forum was held Friday in central China's Hunan Province, discussing the construction of East Asia economic community among other major agendas.
The forum focused on reviewing 20 years of APT (ASEAN Plus Three) cooperation, motivating small and medium-sized enterprises in regional integration and formulating a blueprint for the East Asia economic community.
Nearly 100 officials, entrepreneurs and scholars from ASEAN countries plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (10+3), as well as representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, attended the event in Changsha, provincial capital of Hunan.
The 10+3 cooperation model has become a prominent feature of East Asia and has boosted common, sustainable development and connectivity in infrastructure, trade and finance and people-to-people exchange, said Liu Zhenmin, vice foreign minister of China.
Under the new circumstances, all sides should strengthen coordination and deepen practical cooperation to push the 10+3 cooperation to new levels, he said.
China proposed to use the forum to draw a blueprint for the East Asia economic community as early as possible, said Liu.
The first East Asia forum was held in 2003 as an exchange mechanism under the 10+3 framework.
