ASEAN leaders prior to the official opening of the 12th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the central Philippines city of Cebu.   Jan. 13 - Experts have called for China to use the weekend's ASEAN summits to balance and harmonize trade relations and maximise the benefits of economic cooperation.

 

China and the ASEAN are expected to sign a series of service trade agreements when they meet on Sunday.

 

That summit follows Saturday's ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan and South Korea) summit.

 

Until January 16, trade ministers from East and Southeast Asia will meet in Cebu, in the Philippines, for a series of summits originally planned for September 10-14, but canceled after a typhoon hit the popular tourist destination.

 

Besides Sunday's ASEAN Plus China summit and the ASEAN Plus Three summit, an ASEAN summit and an East Asia summit (covering the ASEAN, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand) will also be held.

 

The summits will see trade officials discus topics including energy security, finance, education, bird flu, natural disasters response and rescuing the Doha trade talks, which came to a deadlock last July.

 

"Beijing will be happy if it is able to build closer economic ties with the ASEAN," said Xu Ningning, deputy secretary-general of the China-ASEAN Business Council.

 

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said China and the ASEAN plan to sign service trade agreements during the ASEAN Plus China summit.

 

"We will take another step toward establishing a China-ASEAN free trade area as the service sector markets open wider," he said.

 

Officials will also draw up plans for further economic cooperation at the summit, he added.

 

Experts including Xu and Lu Jianren, a senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said aside from Sunday's ASEAN Plus China summit, they will also be paying close attention to the ASEAN Plus Three summit.

 

"It is important for strengthening economic relations among China, the ASEAN and other East Asian nations," said Lu.

 

Besides China, the ASEAN has started free trade talks with Japan, South Korea, India, the US, and Russia.

 

But China was the first nation to begin free trade talks and experts say they are proceeding at a fast pace.

 

"China should strengthen relations with the ASEAN," said Zhai Kun, director of Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

 

But he added that claims the nation would have no other economic worries if it kept its relationship with the bloc on track were naive.