Southeast Asian countries will further strengthen trade relations with China despite present economic challenges and currency fluctuations, a senior Malaysian official said here Thursday.
Malaysian International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed, who chairs the economic ministers' meeting among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this week, said China is a very important player and trading partner to the world, and not just for Malaysia.
ASEAN's major trading partners including China is expected to join the meeting later, to discuss ways to strengthen regional economic cooperation.
ASEAN, established in 1967, groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
