Nov 17 (Reuters)
- China will likely pledge 3 billion yuan ($473 million) for cooperation in
maritime industries with Southeast Asian countries, a senior Indonesian
official said on Thursday.
The
proposal was raised by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during a meeting with
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a presidential spokesman told
reporters on the resort island of Bali.
"China
said it plans to set up a fund for maritime cooperation with ASEAN and is
preparing about 3 billion yuan to develop cooperation in maritime
industries," Indonesian presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said.
He did not
elaborate on what sectors might be included nor provide a time frame.
China plans
to table the offer to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at a summit with
them on Friday in Bali.
During a
visit to Indonesia in April, Wen promised $19 billion of investment credit as
he sought to build trust and end wariness between the world's emerging power
and one of the region's brightest hopes.
He also
said at the time that China would give one billion yuan for maritime
cooperation.
It was not
clear if the 3 billion yuan will include that previous pledge or be totally new
money.
China is
vying with the United States for influence in Indonesia and Southeast Asia in general,
the site of strategic sea lanes and resources that it needs to power its
economy.
Many people
in the region see the United States as a bulwark against an increasingly
confident China and its fast-growing military clout.
Other
Southeast Asian countries have clashed with China over rival claims over
potentially oil- and gas-rich islands and reefs in the South China Sea, which
is seen by China as its backyard. ($1=6.35 yuan)
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