To this end, Chinahas placed great importance on and taken an activepart in the ShanghaiCooperationOrganization (SCO) and the ASEANRegionalForum (ARF).
We appreciated the substantial increase in high-level U.S. engagement in ASEAN-led political-security fora, including the ASEANRegionalForum(ARF), the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), the EAS, and the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
At the ASEANRegionalForum(ARF) on security in Bangkok, the North's first appearance elicited audible sighs of relief and largely unrestrained chumminess.