SOUTHEAST Asian leaders adopted a landmark charter yesterday in Singapore.

A milestone document in the 40-year history of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the charter, adopted at the 11th ASEAN Summit, sets out a common set of rules for negotiations in trade, investment, environment and other fields.

It aims to turn Southeast Asia into a single market and production base with a free flow of goods, services, investment and capital.

One of the most significant pledges in the charter is to set up a regional human rights body.

In another development, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao hailed yesterday China’s cooperation with ASEAN countries.

China-ASEAN trade is expected to reach US$190 billion this year and exceed US$200 billion next year, according to Wen. China and ASEAN are now each other’s fourth-largest trading partners.

Earlier yesterday, Wen met Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun.

Leaders from China, Japan, South Korea and the 10 ASEAN countries meet annually to discuss cooperation, and major international and regional issues.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN has a total population of about 500 million, a total area of 4.5 million square kilometers and a combined GDP of almost US$700 billion.(SD-Xinhua)