Chinese FM calls for new Asia-Europe partnership

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-19 17:19

He added China had always attached importance to ASEM's process. The country had been represented at each summit by its premier and advocated the ideas of peace, openness, coordination and development.

China had also outlined the fundamental principles on establishing the new Asia-Europe partnership and put forward proposals on promoting political, economic and cultural cooperation between Asia and Europe.

As China was hosting the Seventh ASEM Summit in Beijing on October 24-25 with a theme of "Vision and Action: Towards a Win-Win Solution," with all 45 ASEM partners attending, Yang proposed to encourage ASEM to become a channel for its partners to enhance mutual trust and understanding, coordination and cooperation, in a bid to "adapt to the changing situation and meet the traditional and non-traditional security challenges."

He also proposed to make ASEM an inter-regional platform for comprehensive and practical cooperation in multiple fields, such as economy and trade, finance, science and technology, culture and education.

Asia-Europe cooperation should serve as an example of harmonious coexistence among countries, suggested Yang. "The diversity in terms of history, social system, cultural traditions and levels of economic and trade development of Asian and European countries ... should serve as the basis and the driving force for their exchanges and common progress."

As an important part of the ASEM process, ASEP provided an occasion for discussions on various issues among Asian and European parliaments. Yang hoped the meeting could come up with valuable recommendations to the ASEM 7 Summit.

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