China to help ASEAN train law enforcement officials

China will invite 1,500 law enforcement officials from ASEAN member states to attend training courses in China, said Thongbanh Sengaphone, Lao AMMTC leader and Minister of Public Security, at a press conference here Wednesday. The comments came towards the end of the 9th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (9th AMMTC), which ran parallel to the 3rd AMMTC+China and concludes Thursday. AMMTC+China resolved to promote high-level exchange of visits and mutual trust as well as building even closer law enforcement cooperation. "The establishment of the ASEAN+China Forum will provide focused analysis on the various areas of transnational crime and promptly respond to the threat and challenges faced," Sengaphone said. China will hold a meeting in 2014 to assess the implementation of the agreement and consider renewing the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between ASEAN and China. Additionally, Sengaphone announced that an additional 100 Chinese language learning scholarships would be provided to ASEAN member states. The last AMMTC+China was held parallel to the 8th AMMTC in Bali, Indonesia in 2011.