A region of friendship

Premier Li Keqiang's heavily scheduled three-nation tour of Southeast Asia, which concludes today, again underlines that China's good-neighborly policy toward ASEAN countries is not an expediency, but a long-term strategic choice.

Li's tour, which started on Oct 9, took him to Brunei, Thailand and Vietnam. The consensus built and the agreements of cooperation signed between China and the three ASEAN countries during Li's visit will inject new vitality into China's ties with the three nations as well as contribute to the larger picture of China-ASEAN interaction.

In Brunei, Li proposed that the two countries deepen practical cooperation in such areas as infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, maritime affairs and energy. Noting that Brunei holds the rotating chair of ASEAN this year, he said China and Brunei enjoy the bright prospect of lifting their strategic cooperative relationship to a higher level.