China and ASEAN countries are good neighbors and have the tradition of friendly communication. By 1991, China has established diplomatic ties with all the ASEAN countries. Since 1997, China and ASEAN launched the mechanism of “10+1” annual summit meetings. Up till now, China and ASEAN countries have established six ministerial meetings that covered economy, agriculture, etc. and five major areas of cooperation including agriculture, information communication, human resources development, mutual investment and the development of Mekong River valley. In order to promote the cooperation in ICT area, the Ministry of Information Industry of China and ASEAN signed MOU between the government of the People’s Republic of China and the governments of member Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on cooperation in Information and Communications Technology  in October 2003.

In the MOU，the Parties have identified the following fields of common interest for mid-and long-term cooperation:

1.   Human Resource Development

China will utilize its domestic training bases to provide training for personnel of ASEAN Member Countries. The Parties will cooperate in developing mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) for ICT Skills Certification.

2.   Information Infrastructure Development

China will actively assist and facilitate the construction and development of information infrastructure such as fixed/mobile communications networks, multimedia applications and Internet in ASEAN Member Countries.

3.   Technology Development

The Parties will cooperate in ICT research and development projects that are mutually beneficial, including strengthening centers of excellence, transfer of technology and exchange of researchers.

4.   ICT Application Development

The Parties will encourage their private sector enterprises to actively participate in the development of ICT application systems for governments and businesses.

5.   Compatibility, Integrity, and Security of ICT Systems

The Parties will cooperate in fields that enhance the compatibility, integrity, and security of ICT systems, including mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) of telecommunications equipment, harmonization and compatibility of data exchange standards, cyber crime prevention and data protection.

6.    e-ASEAN Projects Implementation

The Parties will work towards accelerating the implementation of e-ASEAN work programmes, e-ASEAN pilot projects and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration in ICT sector projects that have been endorsed by ASEAN. The work programmes may include the ASEAN Information Infrastructure; e-Commerce, Capacity Building and e-Society; Facilitation and Liberalization of ICT Products, Services and Investments; and e-Government.

7.   Exchange of Information

The Parties will cooperate to make available information and best practices on ICT-related laws, policies, regulations, administrative guidelines and procedures, and e-readiness assessment.

8.   ASEAN-China ICT Seminar

The Parties will hold annually or as often as required an China - ASEAN Seminar on ICT.

9.    Other Fields of Cooperation in ICT

       The Parties will cooperate in other fields of ICT as mutually agreed.