= (PICTURES) = ATTENTION - ADDS India trade details, amends slug ///

VIENTIANE, Sept 30 (AFP) - Bilateral trade between China and the 10-nation ASEAN block soared 25 percent to 59.76 billion dollars in the first half of 2005 amid ongoing reductions in tariffs, officials said Friday. The figures, released on the sidelines of an economic ministers conference held here by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), followed direct foreign investment by China into ASEAN of 226 million dollars in 2004. "The ministers were pleased to note the phenomenal growth in ASEAN-China bilateral trade since both sides agreed to establish the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area in 2002," they said in a statement. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and is aiming to create a fully integrated economic community by 2020. ASEAN, which recently became China's fourth largest trading partner, has struck an accord with China aimed at reducing tariffs to between zero and five percent on certain types of goods. The accord will apply to the most advanced six ASEAN economies by 2010 and become effective for its least developed members -- Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar -- by 2015. At the same time, trade between India and ASEAN rose 48.2 percent to 5.5 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2005 after agreements to expand economic relations. "Despite the challenges, bilateral trade between ASEAN and India continues to increase at phenomenal rates," the statement said. ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong said ASEAN would hold further talks with India over the next two months before submitting firm proposals at the inaugural East Asia summit in Kuala Lumpur in December. "The trend for the coming years is also going to be good for us," Ong said in regards to trade with India. lh/bmm