JOINT DECLARATION OF ASEAN AND CHINA ON COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF NON-TRADITIONAL SECURITY ISSUES

6th ASEAN-CHINA SUMMIT,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
4 November 2002

We the Heads of State/Government of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the People’s Republic of China, gathered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for the Sixth ASEAN-China Summit,

Recalling the Joint Statement of the Meeting of the Heads of State/Government of the Member States of ASEAN and of the People’s Republic of China in 1997 which contains the commitment to strengthening dialogue and cooperation in all fields with the aim to enhance mutual understanding, expand mutual benefit and consolidate and substantiate the partnership of good neighbourliness and mutual trust;

Deeply concerned over the increasingly serious nature of non-traditional security issues such as trafficking in illegal drugs, people-smuggling including trafficking in women and children, sea piracy, terrorism, arms-smuggling, money-laundering, international economic crime and cyber crime, which have become important factors of uncertainty affecting regional and international security and are posing new challenges to regional and international peace and stability;

Recognizing the complexity and deep-rooted background of the non-traditional security issues and the need to address them with an integrated approach that combines political, economic, diplomatic, legal, scientific and technological and other means;

Believing  that regional and international cooperation needs to be strengthened to address non-traditional security issues and that ASEAN and China are close neighbours and share extensive common interests in coping with these issues;

 Noting with satisfaction the cooperation conducted between ASEAN and China and results achieved in the non-traditional security security field, including the Plan of ASEAN and China Cooperative Operations in Response to Dangerous Drugs in 2000, the four-nation ministerial conference on drug control cooperation held by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand in 2001 and the resultant Beijing Declaration and the bilateral cooperation between ASEAN member states and China;

Welcoming the Statement of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) in 1997, the 2001 ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism adopted by ASEAN Leaders, the Joint Communique of Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Terrorism, the Agreement on Information Exchange and Establishment of Communication Procedures by Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in 2002;

 Confirming that cooperation should be conducted on the basis of observing the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and other universally recognized norms of international law, which are embodied in the Charter of the United Nations and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and respecting the legal systems of all countries;

Determined to further strengthen and deepen cooperation in the field of non-traditional security issues, we task our Ministers concerned to follow up on the implementation of this Declaration by understanding the following:

I. Objectives

In light of the shared needs of all sides, measures and modalities for cooperation in the field of non-traditional security issues will be formulated to enhance their capacity in dealing with non-traditional security issues, promote their stability and development and safeguard regional peace and security;

II. Priority and Form of Cooperation

1. The priorities at the current stage of cooperation are combating trafficking in illegal drugs, people-smuggling including trafficking in women and children, sea piracy, terrorism, arms-smuggling, money-laundering, international economic crime and cyber crime;

2.  On the basis of deepening the existing multilateral and bilateral cooperation,
a) To strengthen information exchange,
b) To strengthen personnel exchange and training and enhance capacity-building,
c) To strengthen practical cooperation on non-traditional security issues,
d) To strengthen joint research on non-traditional security issues, and
e) To explore other areas and modalities of cooperation.
                  
      III. Participation and Organization

1. ASEAN and China will use existing mechanisms, as far as possible, such as the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime and Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime to pursue the cooperation. Long-term and mid-term cooperation plans will be formulated based on the purposes and principles of the Joint Declaration to serve as guidance for cooperation;
2. Ad-ho working groups will be established for cooperation in relevant fields to implement the plans of action through the above-mentioned mechanism supported by the competent authorities in ASEAN member countries and China.

III. Others

To implement this Joint Declaration, action plans may be formulated in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Joint Declaration.

 We, the Leaders of ASEAN member countries and the People’s Republic of China, pledge to remain seized with the matter and call on other regions and countries to work with us in strengthening the cooperation in the field of non-traditional security issues.

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