China will host a commemorative summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in late October, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Chinese international studies experts believe that the summit will push the China-ASEAN strategic partnership to a new level.

This will be the first time leaders of ASEAN nations and China will meet in the Middle Kingdom, showing their intention to push forward bilateral relations, said Shen Shishun, an expert with China Institute of International Studies.

"Chinese and ASEAN leaders will probably review the development and achievements of the bilateral relations and set out the future bilateral cooperation," he said, adding that China will put forward concrete suggestions for further deepening the bilateral relations.

The summit, commemorating the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations, will be held on October 30 in Nanning of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and leaders from ASEAN countries will attend the summit.

"The summit meeting will serve as a milestone in the development of China-ASEAN relations," said Zhai Kun, an expert with China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

China and ASEAN countries have conducted fruitful cooperation in fields of politics, economy and trade, security and culture during the past 15 years.

According to the latest figures, the trade volume between China and ASEAN members exceeded US$130 billion in 2005, and reached US$72.7 billion during the first half of 2006. ASEAN's accumulated investment to China has surged almost to US$40 billion.

Bilateral cooperation has been deepening in non-traditional security fields such as anti-terrorism, drug enforcement, bird flu control and disaster prevention, Shen added.

"The cooperation between China and ASEAN members has injected vitality into the economic development of ASEAN countries," Shen noted.

The third China-ASEAN Expo, as well as the third China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, will be held on the sidelines of the summit.

Zhai Kun said that the expo and business summits will play a positive role in shaping the China-ASEAN free trade area.

"As long as China and ASEAN countries make joint efforts to accelerate the negotiation process in service trade and investment, China-ASEAN free trade area is likely to take shape in 2010," Zhai said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2006)