Wen to visit Cambodia, attend ASEAN Summits

PHNOM PENH - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will make his official visit to Cambodia on November 18 to boost bilateral ties and to attend the forthcoming 21st ASEAN Summit and related Summits, according to Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

The visit is made at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, said a ministry's press statement.

During the visit, Wen will hold official talks with Hun Sen and the two prime ministers will also preside over the signing ceremony of agreements on cooperation between the two countries, the press release said.

Wen will also pay his tribute to Cambodia's recently deceased King Father Norodom Sihanouk at the Royal Palace.

Besides, he will attend the ASEAN+3 (China, Japan, and South Korea) Summit, ASEAN-China Summit, and East Asia Summit, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Thursday in a press briefing.

China is one of the most important strategic partners for ASEAN, he said, adding that during the ASEAN-China Summit, there will be the adoption of a joint statement on the 10th anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

The 21st ASEAN Summit and related Summits will be held on November 18-20 at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

The Summits will bring together all ASEAN leaders and ASEAN's dialogue country leaders including US President Barack Obama, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

Hor Namhong said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Summits because he has the most important obligations to do in his country.

Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.