BEIJING -- , China said Tuesday it had created the office of special ambassador to the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), reflecting its growing engagement with the region.

The first person to fill the position is Xue Hanqin, a former ambassador to the Netherlands, foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

"Her appointment will play an important role in promoting friendly exchange and cooperation in extensive fields," he said.

Qin said the position had been set up to "promote the development of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, and strengthen communication and coordination between the two."

Although one of the reasons ASEAN was set up in 1967 was to roll back communism in Asia, China's exchanges with the organization have grown rapidly in recent years.

Its trade with ASEAN totalled 199.1 billion dollars from January to October this year, an increase of 21.8 percent from the same period in 2007, according to Chinese commerce ministry figures.

This accounted for 9.1 percent of China's total trade with the outside world during the first 10 months of the year.

China has previously appointed special ambassadors to various regions, including the Middle East, a gesture seen by observers as signalling that it attaches importance to a given area.

It also has appointed a special envoy to Africa, with a particular focus on Darfur, following international criticism that it did too little to stop bloodshed in the Sudanese region.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.