ASEM makes substantial achievements: Chinese FM

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-16 17:02

BEIJING -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Thursday hailed the substantial achievements the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) had made in various fields since its establishment 12 years ago.

In a written response to Xinhua questions, Yang said ASEM, as the Asia-Europe inter-governmental forum of the highest level and largest scale, had yielded numerous results in political dialogue, economic cooperation and social exchange, among others.

He said ASEM members had strengthened dialogue on major international and regional issues and gathered more consensus on advocating multilateralism, safeguarding the role of the United Nations and jointly responding to global challenges.

ASEM members have had active dialogue on macro-economic and financial policies and continuously increased trade and investment between each other.

In addition, ASEM members had developed the exchanges of culture, people and academies in various forms, and jointly promoted the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions, Yang said.

He added exchange between parliaments, businesses and NGOs of ASEM members had also increased.

"Reviewing the course of the Asia-Europe cooperation, the most crucial experience is we have always insisted on the principle of mutual respect, mutual benefits, harmony and comprehensiveness, and gradual openness," Yang stressed.

He said this principle was not only the basis of the dialogue and exchange between Asia and Europe in these years, but also the motive and goal that had driven the building of a new comprehensive partnership between the two continents.

The seventh ASEM summit will be held from October 24 to 25 in Beijing, drawing leaders and delegates from 45 Asian and European countries and organizations.