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Oct. 2, 2009: The Chinese Foreign Ministry announces that Beijing will offer $500,000 of emergency aid to Indonesia following the earthquake in West Sumatra. Oct. 15, 2009: Vice Chairperson of the Central Military Commission Xu Caihou meets the secretary general of Indonesia’s Defense Ministry during the third round of bilateral defense and security consultation. The two sides agree to deepen cooperation between the two armed forces. Oct. 17, 2009: China and Laos establish a liaison office in Yunnan to combat human trafficking activities along the border areas between the two countries. The liaison office will step up bilateral law enforcement cooperation. Oct. 20-24, 2009: The sixth annual China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) is held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Held at the sidelines of this year’s CAEXPO is the “China-ASEAN Financial Cooperation and Development Leadership Forum.” The vice governor of China’s Central Bank announces that China will gradually open its financial market for financial institutions from ASEAN member states to set up branches in China or hold stakes in Chinese financial institutions. Oct. 20, 2009: Senior military officials from China and Thailand meet in Beijing for the eighth bilateral defense and security consultation. The two sides review major exchanges between the two armed forces and agree to raise military ties to broaden bilateral security relations. Oct. 23, 2009: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrives in Hua Hin, Thailand to attend the 12th ASEAN-China summit, the ASEAN Plus 3 summit, and the fourth East Asia Summit meeting. Regional integration and economic issues are among the main topics on the agenda. Oct. 23, 2009: People’s Liberation Army Chief of General Staff Chen Bingde visits Singapore and meets Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean. They assess that bilateral military relations have China-Southeast Asia Relations 72 January 2010 intensified in recent years, including cooperation on staff training, joint military exercises, and ship visits. They agree to strengthen nontraditional and multilateral security cooperation. Oct. 26, 2009: Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping meets senior officials from Vietnam’s Communist Party Central Committee. They discuss prospects for expanding cooperation on border issues as well as other economic and military exchanges to build mutual trust. Oct. 30, 2009: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits the Philippines and signs two agreements. The Joint Action Plan for Strategic Cooperation seeks to increase cooperation on trade and investment as well as judicial and law enforcement issues. The China-Philippines Consular Agreement will help protect Filipino workers in China on such issues as notification of arrest and detention of Filipino nationals, repatriation, and dispute settlement. Nov. 4, 2009: The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) begins major construction of a crude oil wharf at Kyaukpyu on Myanmar’s west coast. The construction is the entry point for a 480-mile crude oil pipeline that would end in Yunnan. Expected capacity during this initial phase of the construction is 240,000 barrels per day. Nov. 10-11, 2009: Chinese President Hu Jintao visits Malaysia and meets his counterpart to mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. They agree to enhance mutual understanding and strengthen economic and military-to-military cooperation. Nov. 12-15, 2009: Hu Jintao makes a state visit to Singapore, meeting senior officials before attending the APEC leaders meeting. During Hu’s meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he proposes ways to strength bilateral cooperation. During the APEC leaders meeting, in addition to defending China’s currency position, Hu announces that China will allocate $10 million to help establish the China-APEC Cooperation Fund to encourage economic and technical cooperation between China and APEC member economies. Nov. 16, 2009: Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie meets Royal Thai Navy Commander Kamthorn Phumpirun in Beijing to discuss bilateral military ties. The two sides agree to advance their military-to-military relations. Nov. 18, 2009: Chinese Vice Minister for Public Security Zhang Xinfeng attends the first ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The initiative is meant to increase cooperation on combating terrorism, drug trafficking, illicit smuggling of weapons, human trafficking, and cross-border economic crimes. Zhang provides several proposals to foster cooperation, including the training of 1,000 law enforcement officers for ASEAN countries in the next five years. Nov. 18, 2009: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and his Vietnamese counterpart Ho Xuan Son sign agreements on the demarcation of the two countries’ borders including a protocol on demarcation of the land boundary and a boundary management mechanism. China-Southeast Asia Relations 73 January 2010 China-Southeast Asia Relations 74 January 2010 Nov. 28, 2009: Vietnamese Foreign Ministry criticizes Beijing’s decision to send two fishery patrol ships to the disputed Paracel and Spratly Islands, claiming that the action is a violation to Vietnam’s sovereignty. Dec. 2, 2009: Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie visits Thailand and meets Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. They agree to conduct a joint military exercise in early 2010 involving naval, ground and air force operations. The exercise will be Thailand’s first joint military exercise with China. The Thai Defense Ministry also announces that US representatives will be invited to observe the exercise. Dec. 4, 2009: Two Chinese Navy ships arrive in Vietnam’s northern port of Hai Phong for an official four-day visit. Senior officials from both sides agree to continue conducting joint naval patrols in the Beibu Gulf to help increase bilateral trust and naval cooperation. Dec. 7, 2009: Wu Bangguo, chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, meets Chairperson of the People’s Consultative Assembly of Indonesia Taufik Kiemas to discuss relations between China and Indonesia. The two sides agree to enhance parliamentary exchanges and cooperation to help build bilateral ties. Dec. 12, 2009: The Fifth Theoretical Seminar of the Chinese Communist Party and the Communist Party of Vietnam convenes in Xiamen. Senior party officials discuss theories and practice in tackling such common global challenges as the financial downturn and socialist responses to the economic crisis. Dec. 19, 2009: The Cambodian government announces that it will deport 20 Uighurs who fled China in November and are seeking asylum, citing that the Uighurs are illegal immigrants and lack the necessary documentation to seek asylum status in Cambodia. December 19-20, 2009: Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visits Myanmar to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation in regional and international affairs. The two sides also discuss promoting economic exchanges. Dec. 20-22, 2009: Vice President Xi Jinping visits Cambodia and meets Prime Minister Hun Sen. They agree to enhance cooperation and sign an agreement which includes preferential and concessional loans, infrastructure development, and interest-free loans. Dec. 21, 2009: Chinese National Petroleum Company (CNPC) signs a formal agreement with Myanmar’s Energy Ministry for exclusive rights to build and operate the China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline which will run from Kyaukpyu in western Myanmar to Ruili in Yunnan Province. The agreement will also provide tax concessions and customs clearance rights for CNPC. Jan. 1, 2010: China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) goes into effect, creating a group of 1.9 billion people with a combined GDP of $6 trillion