A meeting of deputy finance ministersand central bank deputy governors of ASEAN and China, Japan and theRepublic of Korea (ASEAN+3) took place in the central city of Nha Trangon April 6.

The meeting was co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Finance Minister TranXuan Ha and Chinese Deputy Finance Minister Li Yong.

The meeting discussed regional economic and financial developments andpolicies as well as long-term cooperation in the field among ASEAN+3members.

Participants reviewed the progress of regional financial cooperationinitiatives, including the Asian Bond Markets Initiative (ABMI) and theChiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM). They also exploredways to further enhance these initiatives.

Officials also handed over a draft agreement on the building of aguarantee mechanism for credit and investment in the development of thebond market in the region.

Vietnam’s representatives briefed the meeting on the country’spreparations for and the agenda of the ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers’Meeting and the Informal East Asian Finance Ministers’ Meeting, which isslated for May in Tanskent, Uzbekistan, and will be co-chaired byVietnam.

On April 7, the meeting will hold an un-official session with the 6thASEAN Central Bank Governors’ Meeting (ACGM 6) in the same city.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam./.