S.E. Asian nations to develop alternative energy
sources with China
Oct 31, 2006 The Associated Press
(Kyodo) _ Southeast Asian nations will cooperate
with China to develop alternative sources of energy
because the region cannot rely on fossil fuels,
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said
Tuesday.
Abdullah, speaking after a series of
meetings held between leaders of China and members
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said
recent high oil prices had taught the region a lesson.
Energy was also high on the agenda at
a meeting between Malaysia and China, held on the
sidelines of the main events being held in the southern
Chinese city of Nanning.
After the bilateral meeting, Abdullah
announced that Malaysia's state-owned oil and gas
firm Petronas had signed a deal worth $25 billion
over 25 years to supply liquefied natural gas to Shanghai
LNG Co.
Abdullah, who celebrated three years
in office Tuesday, said, "We cannot depend forever
on fossil fuels, which are depletable. We must go
for other sources of energy that are renewable and
environmentally friendly."
He said in his country's bilateral meeting
with China, Chinese officials had said there needs
to be cooperation on finding alternative energy sources
with ASEAN members.
Abdullah said the series of meetings
-- including a commemorative summit, a trade fair,
an investment forum and bilateral meetings --had been
"beneficial" to both China and ASEAN countries.
The main event was the commemorative
summit, which marked the 15th anniversary of relations
between China and ASEAN.
Abdullah said ASEAN members welcome
Chinese investment in their countries and see China
as an opportunity.
"We have reason to believe, we have
always believed, that China has never been a threat.
Seeing China as a threat is wrong," he said.
Trade between China and ASEAN grew by
a year-on-year figure of 23 percent in 2005 to $130
billion. In 1991, when relations between the two sides
were established, that figure was just $8 billion.
As well as the LNG deal, Petronas also
announced in Nanning a deal with Chinese carmaker
Nanjing Automobile Corporation to produce the Malaysian
firm's engines. The project is scheduled to start
in 2009, with an annual production capacity of 100,000
units.
ASEAN has 10 members: Malaysia, Thailand,
Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam,
Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
