A multinational forum on natural gas opened Monday in east China's Shanghai Municipality, marking the launch of a consultation mechanism between China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and 10 countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in developing natural gas resources in the region.  

The First ASEAN+3 Natural Gas Forum, organized by China's National Development and Reform Commission, is the first effort of the participating countries to discuss formulating policies and regulations on natural gas, and speeding development and utilization of the resource.

Participating in the two-day forum are natural-gas-producing countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, gas-consuming nations of Japan and ROK, and China, both a consumer and producer.

Experts said that the region where participating countries are located will witness the fastest growth in energy demand worldwide and cooperation is urgently needed to cope with challenges coming along with that growth.

Participants from energy administrations and enterprises in the above countries visited Shanghai-based natural gas treatment works and storage stations on Monday, concluding that the Chinese metropolis will become one of the major suppliers of natural gas for ASEAN countries in the future.

(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2004)