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Wen: China hopes ASEAN-related summits can be held

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-11 13:59

PATTAYA, Thailand -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Saturday that China still hopes the meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit can be held despite anti-government protests.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao receives interview by media at the hotel he stays in Pattaya, Thailand, on April 11, 2009. [Xinhua]

Wen made the remarks at a news briefing in the Dusit Thani hotel, where Chinese and South Korean representatives stay.

He said the fact that leaders of most of the invited countries came for the summits demonstrated their strong will to act together to fight the current global financial crisis.

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"China decided to attend the meetings with the aim of strengthening China-ASEAN cooperation," he told reporters during the short briefing.

"Leaders came for the meetings and cherished the strong will to cooperate in fighting the current financial crisis," he said.

But it is still not clear whether the meetings can go as expected, he said, adding that it is still hard to predict the development of the situation.

The related summits, which were designed to map out ways to enhance regional cooperation, were scheduled to be held on April 10-12.

But the anti-government "red-shirt" demonstrators, blocked several roads to hotels and conference venues Saturday morning, forcing the cancellation of a breakfast meeting between foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea and delaying the China-ASEAN Summit.

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