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JAKARTA, May 7-- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday pledged to jointly promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), so as to inject positive energy into the world economy. Li made the remarks while addressing a celebration ceremony of the 15th anniversary of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia. At the 32nd ASEAN Summit and related meetings held in Singapore in late April, leaders of ASEAN countries agreed to work towards an early conclusion this year of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement (FTA) scheme of the 10 ASEAN member states and its FTA partners, namely China, Australia, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. In his speech, the Chinese premier also called for substantive breakthroughs made in the negotiations on the RCEP. China and ASEAN countries are all beneficiaries of free trade, Li said, adding that it is in line with their common interest to safeguard multilateralism and the international trading system. China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to promote the early completion of the RCEP, build the East Asian economic community and promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, so as to inject positive energy into the world economy, Li said. He said the importance of cooperation between China and ASEAN has gone beyond the bilateral scope and has increasingly become the support and engine for maintaining regional peace and stability as well as promoting regional common prosperity. | 
