ASEAN needs 2 bln usd for China-Singapore rail link - officials |
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Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:00
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MANILA (XFN-ASIA) - About 2 bln usd is required to complete a trans-Mekong Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rail project connecting Singapore to Kunming city in southwestern China, officials said.The Singapore-Kunming project, which will thread through eight countries near the Mekong River, still has about 550 kilometers (341 miles) of 'missing links', according to a declaration issued by ASEAN economic ministers meeting here.The rail link is a key component of the ASEAN-Mekong basin development cooperation project which ASEAN sees as crucial for integrating the economies of its poorer members with the rest of the region.ASEAN secretary-general Ong Keng Yong said a 200-kilometre (124-mile) stretch between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City needs to be linked.ASEAN hopes to drum up investor interest through a special 'high profile seminar' later in the year, specifically from key trading partners Japan and South Korea.The association groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam but the grouping is also seeking to expand economic ties with its key neighbors and economic partners such as China, Japan and South Korea.AFP-xfnjanmCOPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
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ASEAN blueprint for economic community completed, ready for Nov summit signing 