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| ASEM Economic Ministers Meeting to open in Dalian |
| CCTV.COM 2003-07-22 09:07:43 |
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Asian and European economic ministers, representing regions that are home for about a third of the world's population, will begin meeting in the Chinese northeastern resort city of Dalian on Tuesday for the fifth ASEM meeting. The annual gathering of officials from the European Union, China, Japan, South Korea and seven ASEAN nations is expected to promote closer regional coordination in trade and investment.
Brunei's Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Haji Abdul Rahman Taib was among the first ministers to arrive in Dalian. He described the upcoming meeting as being important on two fronts.
The minister said, "This will be the first meeting with our European colleagues since the war in Iraq and SARS and it will have an impact on our future programs with Europe. It is also important because it precedes the Cancun meeting in September. So it arrives at a very right moment."
The EU and Asian officials are trying to find ways to avoid a stalemate of the WTO liberalization talks that began at Doha in Qatar. The new round of talks has so far missed a number of deadlines. Observers say these delays, along with talks to boost trade and investment, are likely to top the agenda over the next three days. The goal of the meeting, according to the Brunei minister, is to "foster a win－win situation" based on trust and understanding.
Meanwhile, the host city of Dalian has been making meticulous efforts to make the conference a success. Welcoming signs for the meeting can be seen everywhere in the city. Security has also been stepped up at the conference venues.
Lu Kejian, deputy director of Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, said, "Dalian has been playing a good host and many participating members are impressed by the city. I'm sure the meeting will provide a good opportunity for the various sides to strengthen their economic cooperation."
A series of events will be staged over the next three days, including an ASEM High Level Economic Forum attended by government as well as business leaders. Also on the agenda, two parallel sessions among Asian and European ministers and a joint session of ministers from both continents. The meeting has also created a media frenzy with nearly 400 journalists from home and abroad participating.
The fifth ASEM Economic Ministers Meeting has drawn special attention, not least because it's the first major international conference to be held in China since the country declared victory over SARS. Over the next few days, the ministers will be bullish on a wide array of issues, from strengthening inter－regional cooperation to coordinating their stands during WTO talks. It remains to be seen whether new policies of substance will result by the end of the three－day meeting.
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Editor: Yang Feiyang CCTV.com
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