Chinese Premier met in Beijing on Friday with the heads of delegations attending the first Security Policy Conference of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

The three-day meeting, scheduled from Nov. 4 to 6, was the highest level of its kind ever held within the framework of ARF. It was attended by defense officers from 24 members of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). They discussed such topics as the international and regional security situations.

ARF is composed of ASEAN members, ASEAN dialogue partners, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Pakistan.

The security policy session was proposed by China at the 10th ARF foreign ministers' meeting in 2003 and approved by the 11th ARF foreign ministers' meeting in 2004. The meeting was hosted by China and chaired by Indonesia, ASEAN's current chair.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2004)