China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Thursday. The two sides agreed to share information through more media cooperation.

Minister of China's State Council Information Office, Wang Chen, signed the China-ASEAN MOU on Information and Media Cooperation with information ministers from ASEAN nations attending a one-day conference in Nanning, capital of southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

"China and ASEAN are about to enter a new stage of exchange and cooperation," Wang said.

Indonesia's Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Mohammad Nuh, said the MOU would "further solidify the foundations for cooperation and partnership in the information and media sectors between ASEAN and China."

Under the MOU, which goes in to effect immediately, China and ASEAN will facilitate personnel exchanges and partnerships between media industries and organizations. Collaborations in product marketing and distribution will also be encouraged as will annual meetings between journalists.

The ASEAN includes 10 nations, namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2008)