On this Day in Chinese History; 25 July

This day, 25 July in 1996, Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen attended the First China-ASEAN Dialogue Meeting, during which China became a formal dialogue partner of ASEAN, opening the way for China and ASEAN to develop friendly and cooperative relations at a higher level and laying a foundation for the two sides to establish a good-neighbourly and mutually trusting partnership for the 21st century.